Life & Love
by LovesLight
Summary: Now that Mall has finally told Ben that she loves him, follow along with the the ups and downs Ben and Mal will face as there relationship progresses. This will be a journey from cotillion until Ben decides to propose. What dramas and happy times will our couple face? This is a Bal fic!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Welcome to my new story! This story starts right after cotillion and will continue up until Ben decides to propose and my story _7 Days Until Forever_ picks up. I fully expect this story to be long as it will take place over about a year. All the little hints from my other stories will more than likely pop up in this one.**

_Mal's POV_

It has been two week's since cotillion. The commitments had thinned out which I was grateful for. I think Ben had a big hand in that. While I had less requirements it seemed Ben had more. He has been so busy with meetings and paperwork that I have hardly gotten any time with him. I was glad to be able to see him tonight.

I have felt a lot less pressure since cotillion. Probably because I wasn't worried about how to be anymore. Tonight would be the first test though. Ben and I were attending our first event since I became his lady of the court. It was Princess Anxelin's birthday ball. I wasn't really friends with Anxelin. She returned to Auradon Prep last winter. We didn't have any classes together this year so I only ever saw her in passing. Rumor has it that her a Chad are a couple but Chad never talks about her. I think he is still caught up on Audrey.

It would just be Belle, Adam, Ben and I as none of my friends were invited to the ball. The only reason I was attending was because Ben had to attend and now that I was his lady of the court I get to go with him. This was the first time I will actually be announced at an event on his arm. My only concern now was that I didn't trip or run into anyone.

Evie and I were at the castle and she was helping me get ready. I haven't seen Ben at all today. Belle told us he was on a call with King Triton when we arrived.

"Now it's time to get you into your dress" Evie said breaking me out of my thoughts. Evie had spent the last two weeks on this dress and I thought it was beautiful. It was a lilac purple ball gown that had a glittery look without actually having glitter all over it. It was a spaghetti strap A-line dress with a v neck neckline, but the best part was that it had pockets! My hair was twisted up in an up-do that Evie did. I decided not to wear gloves or jewelry aside from Ben's ring.

Evie was doing up all the hooks on the back when there was a knock on the door. The door opened and Belle peeked her head in. I smiled at her so she knew it was ok to come in.

"Mal you look breathtaking" she said to me. She was dressed in her signature yellow. She wore a chiffon dress with a diamond belt.

"You look amazing also" I returned, as she approached and pulled me into a hug. She pulled back and smiled.

"Ben is ready and waiting down stairs" she said giving my hands a squeeze.

We walked down the stairs a few moments later and I saw Ben talking to his father. He lifted his eyes to us when he heard us coming. His mouth dropped open slightly as he looked at me. I smiled as I made my way down to him. He smiled back taking my hand.

"You look stunning" he said before kissing my hand. His lips felt warm on my skin. As he straighten back up, I thought to hell with it and pressed my lips to his for a brief kiss. I heard him chuckle as he looked at me smugly. I smiled at him and just shrugged one shoulder as if to say I couldn't help it. "Are we all ready?" Ben asked directing his question to all of us. We all nodded yes and headed out to the limo.

It was about a forty-five minute drive to Tangletown and the four of us chatted the whole way. Ben tried to tell me what to expect because this was the first ball I have been to. He said this would differ form all the parties we had been to so far. Informing me that Anxelin's family would be announce followed by his parents and then finally us. I was a little nervous.

When we arrived, we were shown into the front hall outside of the ballroom where Queen Rapunzel, King Eugene, Princess Anxelin and who I assumed to be Anxelin's younger sister Princess Ruby were all standing waiting to be announced. I had never met Ruby before.

"Belle, Adam, so good to see you" King Eugene said shaking Adam's hand then giving Belle a quick hug. "Your majesty, welcome" he said bowing to Ben and Ben bowed back before he turned to me. "Lady Mal. So good to see you again." I dipped into a curtsy and he took my hand bowing over it and placing a kiss to the back.

"It's nice to see you as well King Eugene" I said smiling at him. I was then greeted by Queen Rapunzel who to my surprise pulled me into a hug.

"Don't you look lovely" she said looking me up and down. I curtsied to her before saying anything.

"You look beautiful as well. Purple is my favorite color" I said as I smiled at her. She was also wearing a purple gown but her's was a few shades darker than mine. She smiled brightly at me. I looked over and saw Anxelin smiling up at Ben. This didn't bother me though. This is how most girls are around him and I knew there were no intentions on either side. Ben stepped over to Ruby and I stepped over to greet Anxelin.

"Princess Anxelin" I said as I curtsied to her. "Happy Birthday."

"Thank you Lady Mal" she said coolly and dipped a small curtsy before turning to talk to her mother. Ben was still talking to Ruby when I stepped up beside him and he looked down at me.

"Princess Ruby, may I introduce you to Lady Mal" Ben said placing his hand on my back.

"Princess Ruby" I greeted curtsying yet again. She smiled warmly and curtsied back.

"Lady Mal it is so good to finally meet you. I have heard so much about you and your friends" she said. I liked her immediately. She seemed much nicer than her sister.

Just then the trumpets sounded and we all lined up to be announced. I was feeling a little nervous. I looked up at Ben as I took his arm and he looked overjoyed.

"What are you thinking?" I asked him. He looked down at me smiling brightly.

"I'm just happy I get to walk in with the most beautiful girl in all of Auradon" he said.

"Your majesty, you're such a charmer" I said teasing him. And just like that he settled my nerves. I heard the herald begin to announce us.

"Please welcome His Majesty King Benjamin and the Lady Mal" the herald called and everyone applauded. I smiled and it felt like everyone was looking at me. Being the center of attention was not something I was use to, but I knew it was something I would have to come to terms with because I was with the king.

Ben led me straight to the dance floor where we were joined by Belle and Adam, Rapunzel and Eugene, and Anxelin and Chad, to start the first waltz of the evening. Ben was an excellent dancer and even though I hadn't learned these types of dances, I was able to follow him without any problems. When the dance ended Ben stepped back and bowed to me and I curtsied to him before he led me to the table we were assigned to.

"Your Majesty" we heard and turned to see Queen Leah and Audrey. "May I present Audrey for a dance?" Queen Leah asked him. Neither Queen Leah or Audrey even acknowledged me at all.

"Of course" Ben said. He turned and kissed my cheek before offering his arm to Audrey. Queen Leah turned and looked at me. I curtsied to her without saying anything and she turned and walked away. I shook my head. You can't please them all I thought.

I sat at our table and watched Ben and Audrey dance. Ben looked polite but not particularly pleased where as Audrey looked like she had just been crowned queen. This didn't bother me as much as it use to. This was the first time I had seen Audrey since the beginning of summer. She has been on a 'retreat' with her fairy godmothers. I was told she wouldn't be returning to school until after the holidays. I guess with how close the two families were, Audrey didn't want to miss Anxelin's ball.

The song ended and Ben went to walk Audrey back to Queen Leah. Another waltz began to play and I heard a familiar voice.

"Lady Mal would you grant me this dance?" I turned and looked up at Az and smiled.

"I'd love to" I said and took his hand and let him lead me out to the dance floor.

Just like Ben, Az was a great dancer. "Are you princes taught how to dance?" I asked smiling up at him.

"We are taught lots of things" he said flirtatiously. I laughed out loud at this.

"I'm sure you are" I replied teasingly.

"Though Ben has probably learned more than the rest of us royals since he has had to be groomed to be the king of Auradon" Az said smiling at me. I looked around my eyes falling on Ben who was now dancing with Ruby. He saw me looking and smiled before he winked at me. Az looked over at Ben as well and gave him a friendly nod.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to be at your cotillion. I was fighting a bad cold and didn't want to cough all over everyone" he said with a chuckle. "My parents said it was...eventful."

"You could say that" I said with a giggle. "It worked out in the end."

"Well I'm glad you're not a dragon now. I'm not sure how to lead a dragon through a waltz" he joked and I laughed.

"You're doing a fine job" I said smiling at him.

The song ended and Az and I walked over to where Ben was standing with Ruby.

"Princess Ruby" Az said bowing to her and kissing the back of her hand. I herd Ruby giggle a bit.

"Hello Prince Aziz" she said to him.

"So what were the two of you laughing about?" Ben asked smiling at us as he wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Az was just being a flirt" I said sending him a smile. "I found out something a prince can't do though." Az knit his brow in confusion.

"What's that?" Ben asked looking down at me.

"Well he admitted he can't dance with a dragon" I said with a giggle and heard Az laugh as well.

"OH! I heard about your cotillion" Ruby said. "So you can really turn into a dragon?" she asked me and I nodded.

"I didn't know I could at the time" I stated.

"So can you turn into a dragon whenever you want?" she asked me.

"I honestly don't know. That was the first time I had ever done it. I just felt like I had to protect everyone" I said. "My mother told me when I was younger that she could transform into a dragon whenever she wanted. Of course she couldn't do it on the Isle and I only saw her do it once at Ben's coronation."

I looked at them as they listened to me. I was happy to see that they didn't look scared of me like I thought people might.

"You're getting good at saving the day" Az said smiling at me. I wrapped my arm around Ben and placed my hand on his chest.

"I think Ben was the one to diffuse the situation this last time" I said smiling up at him. "Always trying to make peace." Ben leaned down and kissed me quickly.

"Well he is a just King" Az said complimenting his friend. Ben reach over and gave Az a fist bump. "Would you ladies like a drink?" Az asked and we nodded. He and Ben left us to go get drinks.

"So how does it feel to be the girlfriend of the king?" Ruby asked. She didn't sound malicious, just curious.

"I honestly don't know how to answer that. I fell in love with Ben before he became king even though I never told him. I know I would love him and want to be with him even if he wasn't king" I said hoping she understood. She nodded and smiled.

"Can I be honest with you?" she asked. I nodded, not sure where she was going but she seemed genuinely nice.

"I don't think Audrey ever loved him, just the status she got from being with him" she said. I laughed. It seems I'm not the only one who can see through Audrey.

"Are you and Audrey friends?" I asked her. I didn't want to offend her with my opinion of Audrey.

"Sort of. Our families are close since our homes border each others. We vacation together a lot. Audrey and Anxelin are best friends and I'm just the little sister that is stuck with them" she explained rolling her eyes. I looked over to where Audrey was standing with Anxelin watching Ben's every move.

"Well she is still chasing that status" I said with a sigh.

"Yeah and she's telling everyone who will listen that you stole the king from her" Ruby said.

This was news to me. I was going to have to talk to Ben about this. He was the only one, outside of Evie and the boys, that knew I spelled him. I knew he loved me but did he think I initially stole him away from Audrey? I mean I technically did I guess.

Ben and Az returned with our drinks drinks. I stood on my toes to whisper in Ben's ear.

"I need to talk to you later" I whispered. He instantly looked concerned.

"Is everything ok?" he asked trying to read my face.

"I hope so" I answered. I don't know how I will feel if Ben thought I stole him from Audrey. The night continued on pretty drama free. Neither Audrey or Anxelin spoke to me the entire evening, but I did get to know Ruby better. I liked her. She was honest in a nice way and refreshingly funny. I danced with Ben a couple more times. I also danced with Adam, King Eugene and Chad at one point. I found out that he and Anxelin tried dating but it didn't work out and Chad has been trying to get back with Audrey ever since.

Audrey was also able to dance with Ben again. It got to me a bit more this time with what has been on my mind this evening. Why do I let Audrey get to me like this? I just reminded myself that Ben loved me.

* * *

It was just before midnight when we made it back to the castle. Evie and I decide to stay here tonight since I would be getting in late and would need her help to get out of my dress. Ben walked me to our suit so that we would be able to talk.

We walked in and I turned on the lights. I turned to Ben and saw him taking off his royal suit jacket and crown.

"I'm just going to go change" I said and he nodded.

I walked into the room I shared with Evie. I sighed when I saw she was sound asleep. This was good and bad. It was good because it would give Ben and I a chance to talk without interruption but bad because I couldn't undo my dress. I don't know why she went with hook and eye closures instead of a zipper. I sighed and looked at the door. I guess I could ask Ben but would that be too intimate? I shrugged not caring to much if it was. I opened the door stepping back out and closing the door so we didn't wake Evie.

"Hey, Evie is asleep. Do you think you could undo my dress for me?" I asked as innocently as I could. He smiled and stood, walking over to me.

"Sure" he said. I turned my back to him. I felt him start to fumble with the tiny hooks. "Why are girls clothes made with such small hooks?" he asked out loud and I laughed.

"I wondered why she didn't just use a zipper then I could have done this myself" I said grabbing my dress at my breasts as I it started to loosen when he got the first few hooks undone.

"Well I'm glad she didn't or else I wouldn't be taking your clothes off for the first time" he flirted.

"Benjamin!" I said in surprise that he would say that. I heard him chuckle.

"I'm just teasing you" he said. "Sorta" I heard him say before he pressed his lips to my back at the base of my neck. I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me. I heard him chuckle again as he continued with the hooks. His fingers would graze my skin down the center of my back with each hook he undid. Was he trying to seduce me I thought. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath and wondered if this was having any effect on him. I felt him step closer to me, pressing his front to my back. His hands resting on my upper arms.

"All done" he said and leaned in and kissed the top of my shoulder. I turned my head and he brought his lips to mine. It was a slow sweet kiss. I almost reached up to cup his face when I felt my dress slip slightly. I gripped it breaking the kiss.

"I'm going to change now. I shouldn't be long" I felt him nod and I stepped away from him heading back into my room. I quickly changed into my bed clothes, which happened to be Ben's tourney shirt and a pair of cotton shorts. I walked back out to the sitting room and saw Ben scrolling through his phone. He looked up at me and smiled. I sat on the couch facing him and tucking my feet underneath me and resting my arm on the back.

"That is my favorite outfit on you" he said, making me giggle. Ben had seen me wearing this only one other time over the summer. He taught me how to swim that day.

"This is the most comfortable thing I have so I wear it to bed all the time" I said looking down at myself.

"So what do you want to talk to me about?" he asked. I sighed and looked at him.

"Ruby told me tonight that Audrey is telling everyone that I stole you from her and even though I guess that's true, I wanted to know how you feel about it" I said to him getting straight to the point. He sat there for a moment just looking at me.

"Technically since I hadn't actually broken up with her yet, I can see how she believes that" he started. He placed his arm on the back of the couch, his fingers began stroking my forearm. "The thing is I was already falling for you before you spelled me and was trying to find a way to break it off with Audrey" he said and I smiled. "Do you remember when you asked me about coronation and weather you guys could be up front and I told you that only my parents and girlfriend could be up there?" he asked and I nodded. "I was already hoping that that girlfriend would be you. In fact I was going to see if you wanted to hang out but you shut the door in my face" he said with a chuckle.

"So you wanted me before I spelled you?" I asked hoping I was getting all this right.

"Yeah but you didn't seem to like me back. Even when I would try to subtly flirt with you, you seemed so uninterested. I had decided to give up on there being anything like that between us, until you gave me that cookie. When your spell kicked in it amplified what I was already feeling and I just made a grand gesture that I wouldn't have done" he said to me. I smiled at him again.

"So when did you fall in love with me?" I asked him.

"It started right when I met you. I was attracted to you instantly but the fact that we could banter drew me in most. It grew from there and when the spell washed off I was one hundred percent sure I loved you" he said. "When did you fall in love with me?" he asked grabbing my hand on the back of the couch and lacing our fingers together.

"Our first date" I said and he raised his eyebrows at me. "I didn't know it right then but I knew my feelings had significantly changed that day. When I was making the anti-love potion I knew for sure."

He leaned forward and cupped my face with his right hand, and I leaned forward so that our lips could meet. He pulled away slightly after a moment. "I love you" he said, his lips just a breath away from mine. I pushed my lips back to his coming up on my knees to get closer to him. I reached around running my fingers through his hair, our tongues sliding against each others. From my position on my knees I was much higher up than Ben was, causing him to tilt his head back almost unnaturally. I pulled back and looked at him trying to decide the best way to make this more comfortable for both of us. I wanted to be closer to him so I placed my hands on his shoulders to steady myself and lifted my left knee over his legs and straddled his lap.

He looked surprised by my change of position. I looked him in the eye and whispered back to him "I love you too", before kissing him again. I felt his hands gripping my waist as he sucked my bottom lip. He let his mouth drop from mine to place kisses along my neck. I tipped my head back giving him more access and my chest pushed more firmly into his. His hands pulled me closer still and I could feel his arousal against me. I smiled thinking I was the cause. The thought that I was able to excite him turned me on causing me to involuntarily grind myself against him. Oh that felt good. I heard Ben groan as he reached up to cup my face and brought his lips back to mine. I experimentally rolled my hips against him and moaned at the sensation. Ben dropped his hands back down gripping my hips and pulled back.

"Baby as good as what you're doing feels, we can't" Ben said breathing hard. I just looked at him. I wasn't sure if he thought I was moving too fast.

"I'm sorry" I said feeling like maybe I was pressuring him.

"Don't be sorry. Trust me, I like what you are doing, I just feel like now isn't the best time to get that carried away. Evie is in the next room and could walk out anytime" he said.

"You're right" I said getting off of him and sitting back down on the couch next to him. "I didn't even think about Evie. It's just..." I stopped feeling a flush spread up my face at what I was about to say to him.

"Just?" he said wanting me to continue.

"The fact that you are so turned on by me just turned me on so much" I said looking down at my hands in my lap.

"Mal do you want to have sex?" he asked me bluntly causing me to look up at him. I still wasn't sure. I shrugged. Ben grabbed both of my hands.

"Mal I am ready when you are but I want you to be one hundred percent sure. I don't want you regretting anything" he said seriously. "Think about it. We can go slow. Start with other things."

"Other things?" I asked him.

"Like touching and stuff. Making each other feel good without actually having sex." he said. "I've noticed you have no problem touching me, but you can feel free to explore other areas if you want. I love when you touch me but let's save it for times when we are alone."

"So where would you like to touch me?" I asked him wondering if this was something he has thought about.

"Anywhere you want me to. If I'm being honest I have been dying to grab your ass. It is literally a battle to stop myself when we are making out. Hell when we are just kissing most times!" he said smiling at me. "I wanted to touch you everywhere a few minutes ago. Anything to make you feel as good as you were making me feel." I leaned in and pressed a brief kiss to his lips.

"You do make me feel good. So good I don't understand how you do it" I told him. He laughed.

"I have actually had that exact though about you" he said and I smiled brightly at him.

"So when do you think we will be able to have some alone time?" I asked him.

"Lady Mal are you planning on seducing me?" he teased.

"Maybe, or maybe I want to be seduced" I said flirtatiously as I kissed him again. I pulled back looking at him. "Mostly I just want to be with you. We hardly have time for just us."

"I'll do my best. I know the school year just started, but when school is done I will have more time. Right now keeping up with school while going to meetings and events and everything is really eating up my time. Trust me I would much rather be with you" he said.

"Ben, I don't want you to neglect your duties just to be with me" I told him hoping I wasn't adding to any stress he may feel about the time he gets with me.

"I'm not but I don't want you to feel neglected either" he said grabbing my hand and stroking the back with his thumb. I smiled again. He was so sweet.

"I don't feel neglected" I said scooting closer to him and snuggling into his side, before kissing his cheek. "I'm just a little selfish and want to be with you all the time" I said as I laid my head on his chest, wrapping my arm around his middle. I felt him wrap his left arm around me hugging me to him.

"I wish I could sit here with you like this forever" he said.

"I know it's late but maybe we can turn on a movie and just cuddle for a while" I suggested tipping my head to look up at him.

"Sure" he said. I moved when he shifted to stand. He toed off his shoes and grabbed the remote before sitting back down. I cuddled back into him as he propped his feet up on the table in front of us. He found one of the Avengers movies to watch on tv. I could feel myself getting sleepy but I din't want to tell him because I didn't want him to leave. I sat up a little bit.

"I love you" I said. I don't know why I waited so long to tell him. It felt so good every time I told him. He smiled and lifted his left arm, that was wrapped around me, to stroke his fingers through my hair.

"I love you too" he said kissing me softly. I laid back down against him grabbing his left hand with my left hand on top of his lacing our fingers together, pulling it around me. I let the sound of his breathing and beat of his heart to lull me to sleep. My last thought was how nice it felt to fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

**Reviews are love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I'm going to try to update regularly. This week was slow because of Thanksgiving here in the states. Here is the next chapter. I threw a little Evie in to start :) Hoping to have the next chapter on either Monday or Tuesday so watch out for it. Happy Reading! **

* * *

_Evie's POV_

I woke up to the early October sun pouring through the windows. I was disoriented for a moment then I remembered I was in our suit at the castle. I looked over at the clock on the bedside table. It was nearly eight in the morning. I sat up wondering why Mal didn't wake me up last night. I looked over and saw Mal wasn't in bed. In fact it looked like she hadn't even slept in her bed at all as it was still neatly made. I felt shock hit me when I realized that she must have stayed with Ben last night. I climbed out of bed to get ready for the day when I noticed Mal's ball gown was laid over the bench at the foot of her bed. I smirked, someone must have helped her out of it.

I quickly got ready for the day and left our room. I stopped dead at the sight I found. Ben and Mal were both sound asleep on the couch. They actually looked really comfortable. Ben was laying on his back with his right arm up over his head. His left leg was stretched out on the couch while his right leg was bent over the front of the couch with his foot on the floor. Mal was snuggled into him with her head on his chest and her left arm draped across his middle. Her right leg was stretched along side Ben's, between him and the back of the couch, while her left leg was bent upward resting over his outstretched leg. They were both fully clothed so I'm guessing nothing happened.

I contemplated waking them up as I grabbed the remote and turned the tv off. The sudden silence must have woken Mal up as she shifted slightly opening her eyes.

"Good morning" I whispered smiling at her.

"Morning" she mumbled stretching and realizing where she was and who she was with. She slowly sat up trying not to wake Ben up.

"We fell asleep" she whispered, as if she had to explain.

"I can see that" I said with a giggle. She motioned to the room with her head and I nodded. She slowly pulled away from Ben. He grumbled a little bit but didn't wake up. We made our way into our room so we could talk.

"So I take it Ben helped you out of your dress last night" I called out to her as she went to the bathroom.

"Yes but it wasn't like that. Why did you have to use all those tiny hooks? Wouldn't a zipper have worked?" she asked walking back out. I laughed.

"I didn't have a zipper that would work. Are you seriously complaining that your boyfriend had to undo your dress for you?" I asked grinning at her.

"Nope" she answered with a smirk.

"So?" I asked her raising my eyebrows at her.

"Nothing happened E. We just talked...and maybe made out a little bit but Ben stopped us before it could get too heated" she told me, sitting on her bed. "With you being in here, we didn't want to get caught doing anything."

"OK so let's just say I wasn't here do you think you would have done it?" I asked. Mal was now my sounding board now that I was in a relationship too.

"Well we talked about it. He wants me to be completely sure before we go all the way but he suggested we start slow and maybe do other things" she said and I nodded to her. She looked at me contemplatively.

"What?" I asked her sitting down next to her.

"Well have you done like other things with a guy?" she asked me.

"Not too much. Petting is as far as I have gotten" I answered.

"What is petting?" she asked.

"You know... like when a guy touches your boobs or butt" I explained the only way I knew how.

"That is one of the things he suggested last night. Evie, if I tell you something promise it stays between us?" she asked.

"M, you know you can always trust me" I told her. She was my confidant and I was hers.

"Well when we were making out last night I was straddling him and as thing heated up I kinda grinded against him and that was the best feeling I have ever felt and makes me wonder if I _am_ ready to do it" she said in an almost whisper.

Mal and I have talked a lot about intimacy and basically know everything about each others experiences. "Was it better than when you touch yourself?" I asked and she nodded.

"Well this is new territory for me because I've never had a guy get me off before or really even stimulate me below the waist" I said. "So did you get off?" I asked curious.

"No he stopped us pretty fast. Honestly I have no idea what would have happened if he hadn't stopped us" she said. "I was starting to think that since I didn't know if I was ready that must be a sign that I'm not ready, but when I'm with him I just want more."

"Well do more. Mal, you can do other things without having sex" I told her. She giggled to herself. Then looked at me.

"Do you feel like you would be ready?" she asked me. I thought about it for a minute.

"Well it's kinda weird because Doug and I have had so much time getting to know each other before we got together that I do kinda feel like I would be ready if it came to that at any time. I know I'm attracted to him in that way" I said to her honestly. "I'm letting Doug set the pace of our physical relationship." She smiled at me and I stood up.

"Well I'm going to head down and have breakfast. I'll talk to you later" I told her. I opened the door and almost ran right into Ben.

"Good morning" I said as I passed him and left the suit.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I watched Evie walk by and out of the suit before I could even greet her back. I hoped she didn't think anything happened last night. I stepped into the room when I saw Mal sitting on her bed.

"Good morning" I said to her.

"Good morning" she replied smiling at me.

"I woke up and you were gone" I said stating the obvious.

"I woke up when Evie came out. You looked so cute I didn't want to wake you up" she told me standing up and walking over to her bag and pulling her toothbrush out. "I'm going to go brush my teeth. I'll be right back" she said.

I followed her and leaned against the door frame and watched her. It was cute getting to watch her do ordinary things like this. I walked in pulling open one of the vanity drawers and pulled out a spare toothbrush that was kept in there and began to brush my teeth as well. Mostly so I could give her a good morning kiss. She looked at me like I was crazy for a split second before she smiled with her toothbrush still in her mouth. After I finished with my teeth I quickly washed my face while Mal leaned against the vanity watching me. I grabbed the hand towel and dried my face before stepping in front of her.

"All fresh?" she teased.

"Yep. Now I can do this" I said before leaning into her and kissing her soundly on the lips. She wrapped her arms around my neck trying to get closer. After our talk last night I felt bold so I reached down and gripped the back of her thighs, lifting her to sit on the vanity and stepping between her legs. My lips never left hers and I felt her gasp in surprise. I wanted to touch her. I decided I would go slow and steer clear of intimate areas but still make her feel good. I let my hands slide up her thighs to her hips, letting my hands slide under the edged of her/my shirt. I lightly drug my hands over the bare skin of her lower back. She let out a low moan. I pushed my hands up her back and back down slowly, gripping her hips as she pulled out of the kiss.

"I think I like the touching" she said, her voice breathy and oh so sexy. I gave her another quick kiss.

"So what were you and Evie talking about?" I asked her.

"Just girl talk" she said with a shrug, looking at me. "Would it bother you if I talked to her about us?" she asked. I thought about it for a minute.

"No. I know you will want to talk to someone. You know you can talk to me about anything. I can't help you with girl specific stuff but I would like you to talk to me about intimate stuff" I told her letting my hands slide down to her thighs and giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Ok" she said with a smile, letting her hands run down my chest.

"I need to go and change before my parents find out that I'm in here with you in my suit from last night and jump to conclusions" I told her hating that I had to leave her but wanting to avoid any drama.

"Yeah. I should probably get dressed too" she said. I took a step back so she could slide off the vanity. She walked me to the door. "I'll see you at breakfast." she said. I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before I made my way to my room.

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I went down to breakfast thinking Ben would already be there. When I walked in it was just Belle and Evie.

"Good morning" I said as I sat down and Mrs. Potts placed a plate of pancakes in front of me. I wondered where Ben was.

"So how was the ball last night?" Evie asked looking from Belle to me. Belle looked at me to answer.

"It was fine. I met Anxelin's sister, Ruby. She is a little more than a year younger than us but I liked her a lot. She is very charming" I said. Belle nodded. "I thought I was going to be sitting through most of it but I danced with quite a few people. Oh and I found out that Chad and Anxelin did date for a bit but broke up pretty quickly" I told Evie.

"Really, do you know why?" Evie asked.

"He said she only wanted to talk about herself" I said.

"Sounds like the girl version of him" Evie said. I heard Belle giggle and we turned to look at her.

"You girls sound just like me when I was younger. My friends and I use to gossip after every ball" she said. "Of course I was a bit older than you guys are now but I was pretty much in the same position you are in Mal, dating the king" she said smiling at us.

The three of us giggled and chatted through breakfast and to my disappointment Ben never came in.

"Belle?" I stopped her as we were leaving the dining room. "Have you seen Ben this morning?" I asked not letting on that I had already seen him because he slept in my suit.

"No, but Adam left right before you came in to take a call so Ben may be dealing with something that has happened" she said waving her hand as if to say, same old same old. I sighed. He can't catch a break I thought.

"When are you girls heading back to the dorms?" Belle asked me.

"Well if Ben is busy working I guess I'll head back here shortly. I have a paper I need to work on anyhow so I'm going to have to go to the library" I told her.

"Well we will see you later then" she said before making her way towards the sitting room.

* * *

After getting back from the castle Evie left to go spend the day with Doug. I went ahead and got my stuff that I would need and headed to the library. I sat in the library for a couple of hours, but finally gave up working on my paper. I couldn't concentrate. All I could think about was Ben. My phone buzzed as I was walking back to the dorms.

_**Hey baby. I'm sorry I missed seeing you at breakfast. I'm glad we got a little time together.**_

I smiled at how cute he was.

_**That's ok. I'm glad we got time together too even though it's all I can think about now.**_

The next thing I know my phone is ringing. I look at it and see Ben is now calling me.

"Hey" I said as I answered the phone.

"Hey what are you up to?" he asked. I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and noticed a few reporters outside the dorm building.

"Oh man" I said.

"What?" Ben asked with worry in his voice.

"Press" I said. "Hang on sec."

_Lady Mal how did it feel to turn into a dragon?_

_Do you have any of your mothers other powers?_

_Do you and the king have future plans?_

They began firing questions at me as I walked up. I decided to answer the least controversial question.

"The king and I are taking it one day at a time and simply plan on finishing school" I said giving them a smile before entering the building, where of course everyone who was there turned to stare at me. I hurried up to my dorm before getting back to Ben.

"Sorry" I began. "I am just getting back from the library. I was trying to work on my essay for history of magic but I couldn't concentrate."

"Sounds like you are handling the press better" he said.

"I found a strategy. I just pick the question that I have an answer to and only answer that one. I hope you didn't mind my answer to that question" I said. The question was about him too.

"Nope you answered it perfectly. To the point and giving nothing away" he said and I sighed in relief.

"Well I have some good news and I have some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" he asked me.

"Give me the bad news first" I said sighing.

"I have to leave tomorrow and won't be back until Friday" he said. I already knew it was going to be something that would keep us from spending time together anytime soon. Though even when he is busy I would still get to see him in class except for when he traveled. Usually he didn't travel for so long.

"Why so long? Is everything ok?" I asked him.

"Well Queen Leah has requested a meeting but is refusing to say why. I would usually have her come here but I also have to travel to Towering Heights for a meeting with King Naveen and to check on the progress of the new school that is being built there. After that I will be traveling to Neverland to meet with Queen Coralie. Apparently she is having a problem with a group of her mermaids. Even Peter Pan has tried to help to no avail" he said.

"Sounds like you have a full plate" I said. I knew he could straighten everything out. Ben is proving to be a great king.

"Yeah. My only concern out of all of it is whatever Queen Leah wants" he said sounding frustrated.

"So what is the good news?" I asked.

"I cleared the whole day on Saturday and wondered if you would like to spend the day with me. We could make it a date day" he said. I couldn't help but smile. A whole day with him with no commitments?

"I would love that!" I told him. "What do you want to do?"

"It's a surprise" he said. I could almost hear him smile and I couldn't help but smile.

"I can't wait" I said.

"Well I have to run and jump on a conference call. I'll call you tonight if it's not too late" he said

"OK. I love you" I told him.

"I love you too" he said before we hung up. I hope the next week goes by fast.

* * *

**A short chapter I know but I'm working on moving along. Next chapter will be up in a few days.**

**Reviews are love!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Here is the next chapter. Mal and Ben are going to be heating up. Just a reminder that this story is M rated. **

**Content Warning**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

This week had to have been the slowest week of my life. There were many times when Ben and I couldn't spend any real time together but we would always see each other at school at least a handful of times. Even when we had to go weeks without being together, we were still able to steal a kiss or hug here and there. Things have changed since cotillion. I have changed since cotillion. I didn't want to be that clingy girlfriend or anything but I couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Evie get's to spend so much time with Doug. Even Jane and Carlos and Jay and Lonnie were together more often than not these days.

Now that I have admitted my feelings for him, it's like they have intensified. Not getting to see him is harder than it use to be. I was missing him more than I ever have.

"Will you stop moping" Evie said throwing a pair of folded socks at me. "You will get to see Ben tomorrow."

I was laying across my bed staring at the ceiling. I reached for the socks that landed next to me and threw them back in her direction without looking at her. "I know but that doesn't mean I miss him any less. You can't talk. You get to see Doug all the time. Every day!" I said sitting up and pouting at her.

"Hey there are times I can't be with Doug because marching band takes up his time" she said and I looked at her raising my eyebrows.

"Says the girl who is currently getting ready to go on a date tonight" I said sarcastically.

"Yeah well you are getting the whole day tomorrow" she said smiling at me..

"I can't wait. I hope he isn't still frustrated with Queen Leah" I said.

"Oh yeah, you never finish telling me about that. You just said that she wanted to see him and never said why. So what happened?" she asked.

"Same stuff different day. Trying to push Audrey on him for the 'greater good of the kingdom' and all that" I said signing quotations with my fingers. "She was literally trying to guilt him into being with her. She actually wanted him to reverse the Happily Ever After act."

"What's the Happily Ever After act?" Evie asked.

"Well years and years ago, royals could only marry other royals, until a king who fell in love with a commoner came up with the Happily Ever After act which allows those of royal standing to be with whom ever they choose" I explained. "Ben didn't go into how he resolved things too much. He was still kinda pissed about the whole situation when I talked to him."

"I can understand why" Evie said doing her make-up.

"So what are your plans with Doug tonight?" I asked, trying to steer myself away from thoughts of Ben and how much I was missing him.

"Movie night in his dorm" she said grinning like the cheshire cat.

"Riiight, a movie" I said teasingly to her.

"What are you trying to say Mal?" she asked acting innocent.

"Oh nothing. It's just that you and Doug have been doing a lot of studying this week" I said trying to get her to spill. She just looked at me. "So how are things going with you two?" I just came right out and asked. She smirked then.

"Really good" she answered still smirking.

"How good is really good?" I asked, scooting to the end of my bed.

"Better than you and Ben last weekend" she said as she started brushing her hair.

"Evie! Did you guys go all the way?" I asked in shock.

"No but we did go a bit farther than you did" she said her face flushing a bit. "You were right it does feel better when it's with someone else."

"Ok so what did you do? How did it all happen?" I asked. I had so many questions. It all seemed like it was happening so fast with them, but then I thought about how close Evie and Doug were before they made it official and how much sexual tension there must have been.

"We were just kinda making out and hands started to wander" she said with a shrug like that explained everything. It so did not! I went into interrogation mode.

"So you both used your hands?" I asked and she nodded. "Did you both get off?" again she nodded. "Over the clothes or under?" I asked. I knew this was a bit personal but it was something I was most nervous about when I thought about doing things with Ben and maybe she could help ease that feeling.

"Well we didn't take our clothes off. It started out over the clothes then kinda worked into a situation where we wanted more" she said.

"So you have both seen each other?" I asked hoping she knew what I meant.

"Not really. Well I saw him but he didn't see me. He just had his hand up my skirt, so it was all by feel" she said. "I will tell you this, a guy's ...you know" she said motioning to her lap. "Is nothing like you would expect. It's hard but soft and smooth at the same time. Also, just a heads up that it gets messy when he gets off."

"Did it all feel natural or was it uncomfortable?" I asked next.

"Natural. Like it just happened. There were a few fumbling moments but I wouldn't say it was uncomfortable" she said. That was good to hear. Everything that Ben and I did together, though limited, felt very natural as well. It was a relief to know that even more intimate things would also feel like that.

I smiled at her. I'm glad we had each other to talk to. Even though these experiences were new to us, it was good to have someone to talk to when a new development happened in our relationships. We could always talk to Jay, who is the only one of the four of us who isn't a virgin, but it seemed really weird to talk to him about this kind of stuff.

"Well how do I look?" Evie asked standing up and turning toward me.

"Beautiful as usual" I told her as I scooted back to the top of my bed to grab my phone off the bedside table to text Ben. I laid down and opened the message app. I looked up as she grabbed her bag and headed to the door.

"I'll see you later" she said smiling and opening the door. Just on the other side of the door stood Ben looking like he was about to knock.

"Hey" Evie said opening the door to let him in and scooted past him. "Bye" she said as she went out closing the door behind her.

I was surprised to see him. I thought he wasn't going to be back until late tonight. I barely had time to sit up before he was kneeling on my bed right in front of me pressing his lips to mine. I reached up quickly, cupping his face with both hands. Oh how I had missed him. The force of his kiss pushed me back so I was laying down with Ben hovering over me with his left knee on the bed. Too soon he pulled away from me, bracing his body up with his left hand on the bed next to me.

"I missed you" he said looking down at me.

"I missed you too" I returned, smiling at him. He sat back, sitting on the bed next to me and I sat up too. "I thought you weren't getting back until later tonight" I said to him.

"I left a little earlier. I wanted to surprise you" he said letting his hand run up and down my right thigh. "Where was Evie headed?"

"She is having a date night with Doug" I said. "So she won't be back for a while" I flirted.

"Is that so?" he flirted back leaning in to peck my lips. "So does that mean we can have an impromptu date also?" he asked

"What do you have in mind?" I asked. He smiled and stood removing his blazer and tie and throwing them over the back of the chair. He then kicked off his shoes. I watched as he began to crawl up my bed towards me pushing me to lay back down. His face hovered over mine with his arms on either side of me.

"Let me show you what I have in mind" he said seductively and kissed me again. The kiss was slow and loving. I reached up and gripped his shirt pulling him closer to me. He let his body rest along side of me, holding himself up on his forearms. I let my hands slide up over his shoulders to his neck. I swiped my tongue along his bottom lip, wanting to deepen the kiss. His mouth opened to mine and our tongues slid against each others. He moved his lips across my right cheek to my neck. I tipped my head back, pushing my chest into his, to give him more access. I moaned as his lips grazed sensitive areas.

"God I want to touch you" he whispered close to my ear.

"Touch me" I breathed out. He pulled his head back to look at me. "Touch me Ben" I said again to him. He dropped his lips to the left side of my neck and I felt his left hand slide up my side across my ribs. He stopped his hand just under my right breast then slowly ran his thumb over the thin fabric of my tank top, grazing across my nipple. I felt my nipple harden and I moaned at the amazing sensation it caused. My reaction spurred him on and he moved his palm over my breast cupping it in his hand while sucking on a sensitive spot on my neck just under my ear. The sensations he was causing was making me yearn to be touched in other places.

I squirmed trying to get closer to him, my hands clutching his hair. I wanted to kiss him like he was kissing me, but he was in complete control like this. I thought about how we were on the couch last week and how perfect that position was for both of us. I slid my hands down his chest and pushed a little.

"Ben sit up" I said. He immediately pulled back like he had done something wrong.

"I'm sorry" he said softly, as he rolled off me sitting up with his back to me. I sat up also and move to look at him.

"Don't be. I just wanted to change positions" I said as I threw my right leg over him, straddling him like last week. "You're not the only one who wants to touch" I said running my hands up and down his chest before I leaned in pressing my lips to his briefly before sliding them across his jaw to his neck. I felt Ben's hands grasp my hips like he need something to hold on to. I pulled back feeling frustrated with the collar of his shirt. I decided it had to go and began working on the buttons. I heard Ben chuckle and looked up at his face.

"Someone is feeling needy" he teased, and kissed my lips briefly.

"Yes and right now I _need_ to get this shirt off" I said as I continued with the buttons. When the last one was finally free, I pushed it down his shoulders. He let me go to take it off completely, tossing it to the floor. I dropped my mouth to his shoulder placing kisses along it lingering where his shoulder and neck met. I loved the feel of his skin on my hands as I ran them up and down his chest. Tracing the lines of his abs. Ben's hands were resting on my thighs and I felt him slide them up over my hips and around until he was cupping my backside. Without thinking I let myself grind into him.

"Mal" I heard him gasp as his hands flexed against me. I pulled back to look at him. He let one hand drop to the bed behind him and gripped my waist firmly with the other. With me still on him, he pulled his body backward so he was able to lean back against the headboard. I gripped his shoulders to steady myself.

"Let's play a game" he said with a smile. I smiled back. I wasn't sure what he had in mind but by the look on his face I knew I would probably like it.

"Ok, what game would that be?" I asked, running my hands slowly over his abs.

"You're playing right now and it's not your turn" he said with a chuckle, grabbing my hands and lacing our finger together.

"Explain this game your majesty" I said flirtatiously to him.

"Well sex isn't going to happen tonight" he began and I could feel myself flush slightly. "Neither one of us is quite prepared for it tonight as far as preventative measures go" he said looking at me to see if I could contradict him. I hadn't even thought about that. I didn't have any condoms and I wasn't on birth control. That was something I may need to change if we kept going at this rate. I just nodded my understanding.

"So what I was thinking is that we can each take a turn exploring the other. Touching and finding out what we like" he said. I liked the idea but I was struck with nervousness at the thought of being naked in front of him. I wasn't expecting to see him tonight so I wasn't as groomed as I would like to be.

"Will we be taking our clothes off?" I asked and I'm sure he could hear the nervousness in my voice.

"Not if you don't want to" he said. "We don't have to do anything you don't want to do" he said sincerely. He was such a gentleman. I leaned in to kiss him for a moment.

"I want you to touch me and I definitely want to touch you I just don't want you to see me naked yet" I said and he looked confused. I smiled. "I would just like everything to be in order, you know" I looked down to our laps to emphasize what I was meaning. He chuckled at this and it made me smile.

"OK, we can keep it over the clothes" he said. "Can I go first?" he asked me.

"Touching or being touched?" I asked. It was a win win situation really.

"Touching, definitely touching" he said smiling. He let go of my hands and cupped my face leaning forward to kiss me for a moment. He leaned back, his hands dropping to my thighs again. His eyes moved up and down the length of my body. He looked so pleased that I looked down to to see what he was seeing. I wore a dark purple tank top with no bra and a pair of purple plaid sleep shorts. My center was pressed into him in a very intimate way and his hands were resting on my bare thighs tracing circles.

"Tell me if you don't like anything or if you start to feel uncomfortable" he said.

"So far I can't get enough of you touching me" I informed him and he smiled.

We just looked into each others eyes before he reached his right hand up to my face, cupping my cheek and running his thumb across my bottom lip. His fingers were barely a tickle has he ran them down my neck and across my collarbone. He continued down the center of my chest and moved to circle my left breast before cupping it and letting his thumb slide back and forth over my now hard nipple. I gasped and closed my eyes at the sensation. His other hand came up and gave my other breast the same attention.

I was beginning to feel the effect touching me was having on him. He sat up and claimed my lips. I slid my arms over his shoulders and rolled my hips against him. I felt him drop his hands to my hips and I thought he was going to stop me like he did last time but he didn't. I did it again and moaned into his mouth. The more I did it the harder he seemed to get which was turning me on even more. His hands slid to my backside pushing me into him more firmly. I pulled my lips from his to catch my breath. He pressed his lips to my neck and I dropped my head back to give him room and I continued to roll my hips against him. I moaned softly again. His left hand came up to my breast again and he gently rolled my nipple with his finger and thumb through my top. I was on fire.

"Oh god Ben" I breathed out. I dropped my head back down catching his lips with mine. I was so close to coming undone. One of his hands drifted down my stomach to where our bodies were pressed together. I gripped his hair as he let his thumb rub against me intimately. He rubbed his thumb up and down hitting my most sensitive spot over and over. My orgasm hit me hard and I jerked against him moaning loudly.

I reached down and gripped his wrist to stop his movements as I pulled away and rested my forehead against his shoulder, panting. He moved his hands to my thighs, stroking them softly. Once my breathing began to even out I sat up and looked at him.

"Did you just...?" he began. I nodded feeling my face begin to heat. "That is so hot" he murmured and kissed me again. I could feel he was still hard beneath me. I wanted him to feel as good as I did.

"My turn" I said smiling at him and pushing him to lean back. I reached out letting my hands drag down his chest, my fingers traced his nipples that hardened under my touch. I let my hands drift over his abs tracing the dips and curves. I leaned in pressing my lips to his neck and began kissing my way down. I sat up and shifted my body back on his legs looking down and noticing the bulge in his pants. I looked back up to his face and smiled before I kissed his collarbone working my way down. I ran my tongue over the flat disc of his nipple. I smiled against him when I heard him gasp. He reached up and ran a hand through my hair.

I let my hands fall to the waist of his pants, grazing my fingers across the skin above his belt. His abs tensed at the contact. I leaned up and smiled at him as I skimmed my hand across his hard on. I watched as his eyes closed and he bit down on his bottom lip. I wanted to do that. I leaned in kissing him hungrily, sucking his bottom lip and nipping at it gently, all the while letting my hand caress him through his pants. I heard him groan and started to shift under me. He pulled out of the kiss.

"Mal, baby I need to move my legs" he said gripping my waist. I looked at him and he looked uncomfortable

"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" I asked as I moved off his lap and kneeled next to him, feeling like maybe I did something wrong.

"No!" he said. "Trust me you were doing everything right" he said as he sat up pulling on his pants a bit. "It's just that things are getting a bit tight down there" he said. He reached his hand up cupping my face and slowly kissed me again. I placed my hands on his chest. I couldn't get enough of the feel of his skin. I felt a little bolder since he said I was doing it right. I let my hands fall to his belt and I pulled back slightly.

"May I?" I asked. He took a deep breath, leaned back and nodded. I pushed my lips back to his as I unbuckled his belt and pulled it free from his belt loops, tossing it on the floor. I then worked to undo his button and pulled his zipper down. I slid my hand into his pants and stroked him through his boxers. I could feel just how big he was now. The thought of how he would fit in me when the time came ran through my mind but I pushed that thought away and continued my quest to make him feel good.

I heard him moan against my lips which urged me on. I slid my hand up and caught the edged of his boxers before pushing my hand in to wrap around him. I broke the kiss so I could look down were my hand was. Like Evie said he was soft and smooth but hard as stone. I stroked him the best I could with the restriction of his boxers. He pulled his legs up pushing up on his feet sightly and pushed his pants and boxers down enough free himself and my hand. I took in his manhood for the first time. I suddenly felt like I didn't know what to do.

"Show me what to do" I said softly looking up at him. He gave me a small smile before he wrapped his hand around my hand that was wrapped around him and moved my hand up and down. He grunted, closing his eyes again. I looked down watching our hands move. He released my hand and placed his hand on my thigh stroking it. I noticed a bead of moisture collect on the tip of his member and I swiped my thumb over it spreading the moisture.

"Mmmm that feels so good baby" he moaned out. I pushed my lips back to his and picked up the pace against him. I moved my lips down to his neck again wanting to hit the spots I know he liked. I loved hearing him grunt and moan in pleasure.

"Oh god Mal, I'm gonna come" he said. I pulled back and watched him. I swiped my thumb over his tip again and felt him throb in my hand. He made a low growling sound in the back of his throat as he began to come all over his stomach and my hand. I kept stroking him until he finished. I reached over and grabbed the box of tissues off the bedside table and handed it to him. I took a tissue to clean my hand.

"Was that ok?" I asked him as he cleaned up and pulled his pants back in place. He stood up to toss the tissues in the trash. He stepped back over to the bed leaning down and kissing me lovingly. He pulled away and smiled at me.

"That was probably the best experience I have ever had" he said and I smiled.

Just then my phone chimed with an incoming message, but I had no idea where my phone was. I knew it must be on the bed somewhere. I reached under my pillows and found it. I swiped the screen and read the text.

"Evie is staying with Doug tonight" I said looking up at Ben and noticing he was pulling his shirt back on. I got up and walked over to him placing my hands on his bare chest and dragging my fingers along his pecks and abs. "It's a shame you are covering this up" I said flirtatiously to him. I looked over at the clock then back to him. "We still have a couple hours until curfew. Do you want to stay? We could order take-out and watch a movie" I suggested.

"Sure" he said.

I went to the bathroom while Ben ordered us some food.

"So what should I expect for our date tomorrow?" I asked as I came out of the bathroom and looked at Ben, who was now lounging on my bed. To my delight he still hadn't buttoned his shirt.

"You can wear whatever you want but bring your bathing suit" he said.

"Ben it's not warm enough to swim" I said walking over to the side of the bed.

"We have an indoor pool at the castle remember" he said pulling me down to lay with him on the bed. I snuggled in close to him resting my head on his chest and throwing my leg over his. He kissed the top of my head as he flipped through the channels on tv.

We snuggled until our take-out came and we enjoyed our food. Too soon it was time for him to go and I walked to the door with him. He reached up, pushing my hair back.

"You might want to hide this with make-up" he said with a smirk.

"You marked me?" I asked reaching my hand up to my neck. I hadn't even noticed him doing it.

"I didn't realize it at the time. I was kinda in the moment" he said causing me to smile at him. "You're not mad are you?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I was in the moment too so I get it. Is it really noticeable?" I asked him, dropping my hand.

"Sorta. Your hair covers it but if you move you can see it" he said looking at it and smirking like he was proud of it or something. He grabbed my waist, leaning in to press his lips to the spot. I sighed at the contact, sliding my hands up his neck to his face to guide his lips to mine for a sweet goodnight kiss. After a moment he pulled away.

"I'll see you tomorrow" he said.

"Ok I love you" I said and he pecked my lips again.

"I love you too" he said back before he made his way down the hall and around the corner.

* * *

**Our couple are heating up! Date day next chapter. I will try to have it edited and up soon :)**

**Reviews are love!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: It's date day! A little drama will be coming in a few chapters but this is a fun chapter that pushes our favorite couple a little further along. Rated M for a reason. Happy reading!**

**Content Warning!**

**P.S. Let me know what you think of the little notes I leave here as a prelude to each chapter. I just feel like this is the only way to talk to my readers and let you know what's in my head.**

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I had an awesome date planned today. I told Mal I would pick her up at ten thirty. It was ten now so I headed down to the kitchen to put together a picnic basket. As I walked in I saw Mrs. Potts kneading some dough at the large island.

"Good morning dear" she said. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked.

"I just need to put together a picnic lunch for my date with Mal today" I said and she immediately washed her hands and set about making sandwiches for us. I could do it but I knew she wouldn't let me. I went to the fridge to get the deli meat and cheese. I grabbed a couple bottles to water and walked over to Mrs. Potts giving her the things for the sandwiches and placing the waters in the basket she placed on the island. She prepped and packed our lunch, handing me the basket.

"Thanks Mrs Potts" I said taking the basket from her and leaning in to kiss her cheek. It was now a quarter after so I headed out to pick up Mal. I ran into Evie as I was walking up to their dorm room. It looked like she was just getting in.

"Hey" I said walking up to her as she was unlocking the door.

"Hey" she said back. "Are you picking up Mal for your date?" she asked.

"Yep" I said smiling at her. "You doing the walk of shame?" I teased. She blushed and opened the door and we walked in. Mal wasn't anywhere to be seen.

"Mal must be in the bathroom" she said walking up to the bathroom door and knocking on it. "M, I'm back. Ben's here" she called out to the door. The door opened and Mal stepped out. She looked beautiful as always. She looked up and smiled at me.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey" I said back smiling at her. She stepped over to me lifting up and giving me a quick kiss. She stepped over to her bed and grabbed her bag that was sitting on it. Evie was collecting things to head into the bathroom.

"I'll talk to you later E" she said giving Evie a pointed look. Evie blushed again but nodded her head and went into the bathroom. She turned back to me. "So I packed my suit. Is there anything else I will need?" she asked me.

"Nope" I answered.

"So what are we doing, besides swimming?" she asked.

"It's a surprise. We won't be going swimming until later" I said as I walked over to her pushing her hair to the side to see how well she was able to hide my accidental love bite. I smiled at her. "You wouldn't know it's there unless you knew it was there" I said.

"It took a bit of concealer but I think I did a good job" she said and I nodded.

"Ready?" I asked and she nodded.

We headed out. I decided to drive today rather than take the limo. I wanted this date to be just us and the limo tended to draw attention. I opened the passenger door on my black Range Rover, letting her in.

"You're driving?" she asked.

"I thought it would be a little more private. No driver and this draws less attention from the public than the limo does." I told her.

"So we aren't heading back to the castle?" she asked looking at me as I climbed into drivers seat.

"Not until after lunch" I said starting the engine and heading to our first destination.

"I didn't know you could drive. Well, besides the scooter" she said. "I don't know how to drive." I reached over and grabbed her hand.

"Maybe I can teach you" I said pulling her hand up and kissing the back of it. She smiled brightly over at me. We drove out to the outskirts of the city where the farm lands were. I turned into Fruit Field Farms.

"What's this?" Mal asked looking around.

"We are going to go strawberry picking" I told her. It was really late in the season so there probably wouldn't be a lot of other people out here picking strawberries. "There is also an apple orchard so we can pick some apples if you want and have a picnic lunch in the orchard" I said parking and cutting the engine. I got out and rounded the car quickly to open the door for her.

"How fun" she said with a smile, taking my hand as she got out of the car. We were met by Mrs. Jones who owns the farm.

"Your Majesty" she said approaching us. She stopped and bowed slightly.

"Hello Mrs. Jones. This is Lady Mal" I said introducing them and they shook hands smiling at each other.

"Here are some baskets and shears for you. You will find that the best strawberries that we have left are the ones on the back right hand side bushes. Help yourself and enjoy" she told us handing the baskets to us. "Let me know if you need anything" she said before heading off in the other direction.

Mal and I had a great time picking strawberries, even when she started throwing over ripe ones at me.

"You're in for it" I said putting my basket down and running after her. She took off in the direction of the orchard giggling. She passed a few trees before I caught her around the waist. I turned her around in my arms, holding her tight. I pushed her up against the nearest tree.

"There's no escape" I said as I began to tickle her sides. She squealed with laughter which made me laugh too. She was wiggling and pushing at my hands trying to stop my tickle attack. I had a plan to keep her from running again. I stopped tickling her but held her hips tight stepping close so my body was pressed against hers. She tried to control her giggling.

"Now Lady Mal, throwing things isn't very nice" I said with my mouth close to her ear. I felt her relax and lift her hands to my sides. I let my nose drag across her neck then up toward her mouth but I didn't kiss her. Instead I moved my face to the other side and continued to drag my nose down the other side of her neck. I heard her breathing pick up.

"I don't think teasing is very nice either" she breathed out, dropping her head back against the tree. I chuckled.

"Is this nice?" I asked pressing my lips to her neck and I heard her sigh.

"What about this?" I asked before pushing my lips to hers in a fiery kiss, letting my hands slide around to cup her backside. Her hands fisted my shirt when I deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue against hers. I pulled away so we could catch our breath.

"I hope your not this nice to anyone else" she said smiling at me.

"Not quite" I said smiling back at her. "Let's go grab our baskets. We can wash our strawberries then have lunch" I said stepping back from her. I didn't want either of us to get too carried away while we were in public.

We sat in a sunny patch of grass between the apple orchard and the strawberry field to eat our lunch.

"So how did you smooth things over with Queen Leah?" Mal asked as she took a bite of her sandwich. I sighed. That had been one of the most frustrating meetings I have ever had.

"I had to remind her what she would lose if the Happily Ever After Act was reversed" I said. I could see the question in her eyes so I continued before she could ask. "Queen Leah was not born royal herself. Reversing the act would annul marriages and strip titles. Her title would be stripped along with Aurora's and Audrey's. Aurora's marriage would be annulled and Audrey would be considered a bastard child." I saw Mal's eyes widen.

"That is only the tip of the iceberg" I said seriously.

"You would think that would be enough for her to let the issue drop" Mal said.

"It was. I had to stress to her the gravity of such a move. There are only four true royals. My father, King Phillip, King Charming, and Queen Rapunzel. All of whom would have their marriages annulled. The kingdom would be in an upheaval as all the royal families will dissolve, including mine. My mother was born common, meaning like all the prince and princesses in the kingdom, I would also be documented as a bastard with no title" I told her. She was quiet for a few minutes.

"I would love you anyways. King or not" she said seriously. I reached over and cupped her face and leaned in pressing my lips to hers. Pouring my love into the kiss. I pulled back after a moment and stared at her. I was so happy to have found her.

"I love you so much" I said feeling a little emotional.

"And I love you" she returned.

We enjoyed the rest of our picnic lunch. The strawberries were perfectly sweet and Mal ate most of them. I packed up our picnic basket and Mrs Jones packaged up the rest of our strawberries and we head out to make our way to the castle.

* * *

_Mal's POV_

"That was a perfect date" I said looking over at Ben as he drove.

"The date's not over yet" he said grabbing my hand. We were heading to the castle now. Ben told me last night to bring my swimsuit. It was too cool to swim outside but the castle had an indoor pool. I had never swam in a pool. In fact I had only been swimming once. Ben took me to the Enchanted Lake to teach me to swim over the summer. I was actually excited to get to go again.

We arrived at the castle and Ben led me down some stairs where the pool and gym were located. I went into the bathroom to change while Ben went into the gym changing room to change. I chose to wear a regular bikini this time. It was a solid purple, triangle top bikini that Evie forced me to buy.

I walked out to the pool but didn't see Ben anywhere. It was so warm in here that I wondered if the water was warm too. I decided to sit on the side of the pool and dip my feet in to wait for Ben. The water was warm. It almost felt like a bath. I heard Ben come in and turned around to look at him. He was wearing the same shorts he wore on our first date.

"Sorry it took so long. I had to run upstairs and grab my shorts" He said.

"Aw the crowns are so cute" I said teasing him. "The water is so warm" I said kicking my feet back and forth.

"Yeah the pool is heated" he said. He sat next to me for a second before slipping into the water. He swam all the way across the pool. He headed back coming up when he could touch about mid way across. He wiped the water off his face and looked at me taking in my bikini and smiling. He began to walk towards me. By the time he was about three feet away the water was at his hips. He slid his hands up my thighs to my hips stepping between my legs. I let my hands drift up his arms to his shoulders before cupping his face and kissing him. Suddenly I felt his hands grip my waist as he pulled me into the water.

"Ben" I said a little shocked that he pulled me in. I place my feet on the bottom standing up.

"I won't let you drown" he said.

"I didn't think you would. You just caught me off guard" I told him letting him go and dipping down into the water.

"Do you feel confident to swim on your own?" he asked. "You did so well last time."

"I think so, but I might just stick to the shallow end. Where does it get deep?" I asked him. He backed up walking along until the water was up to about the middle of his chest.

"About here I would say" he said smirking at me before he dunked under the water and began swimming in my direction. I swam away before he could reach me.

"Nice try" I giggled when he came up. He quickly went back under and headed my way again. I wasn't quick enough and I felt him grab my leg causing me to go under. He immediately let me go and I came up sputtering a bit. "Bennn" I whined pushing my hair out of my face and clearing the water from my eyes. He stood up in front of me.

"I'm sorry babe. I didn't mean for you to go under" he said trying not to smile. I just started splashing him. "Hey!" he called out holding his hands up as he turned his face away. "Ok ok I said I'm sorry" he called out and I decided to have mercy on him. I dunked under the water quickly, using the water to slick my hair back.

"So mom said you are helping her plan the Halloween party" he said, making conversation.

"Yeah. I don't know how much help I will be though. Evie is better at that kind of stuff than I have ever been. Maybe I will see if she wants to come when I get together with your mom to go over everything tomorrow" I said.

"So what are you going to be this year?" he asked moving closer to me, grinning.

"No idea. What are you going as?" I asked as I felt his hands skim up my sides.

"I haven't decided either" he said closing the distance between us. I slid my hands up and down his arms. I was feeling mischievous and I still owed him for pulling me in in the first place. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. I began to trail kisses downward along his neck and shoulder then across the top of his chest. When he was significantly distracted I pulled away sinking down in the water a bit and I gave is shorts a tug, pulling them down. I swam away as fast as I could.

"Mal!" he said in shock trying to pull his shorts back up.

"It's nothing I haven't already seen" I said wagging my eyebrows and laughing at him struggling.

"There are cameras in here" he said.

"Aww I'm sorry" I said trying to contain my laughter from the far corner. "I didn't know." I was beginning to feel a little bit bad now that I knew we could be seen. He got his shorts up and made his way to me. "I really am sorry" I said as he got to me. He wrapped his arms around me and began to move along the side of the pool. He stopped when the water was up to his shoulders and I knew I wouldn't be able to touch the bottom here.

"Ben this is too deep" I said gripping his shoulder tightly and wrapping my legs around his waist. I heard him chuckle.

"Now I have you right where I want you" he said with a smile.

"Ben, I can't touch here." I said feeling a little anxious even though I could probably swim well enough to get back to the shallow end.

"Don't worry. I won't let you go" he said, pushing me back against the side of the pool. I felt his hands cup my backside as he brought his lips to mine. It wasn't long before the kiss became heated. I remembered the cameras and pulled back. Ben then began to trail his lips along my neck, his hands flexing against me, pulling me more firmly against him.

"Ben stop" I said pushing against his chest and hoping he didn't drop me. He looked at me a little confused but didn't loosen his hold on me. "The cameras" I said. I looked around and noticed some of the cameras placed in the upper corners of the room. I watched as a smirk spread across his face before he brought his lips close to my ear.

"Don't worry. I turned them off when I grabbed my shorts" he said softly before nipping my earlobe which sent a shiver down my spine. He began working my neck again.

"You had me feeling bad about pulling your shorts down" I told him, my voice was breathy.

"I'll make it up to you" he said rubbing himself against my center setting me on fire. I pulled his mouth to mine kissing him passionately.

Ben pulled back and began to move us again. We moved to the opposite side of the pool from the shallow end. Ben could touch so it must get shallow again. "Here we go" he said as he set me down on a little ledge along the side under the water. Sitting here the water only came up to the top of my belly, just under my breasts. He rested his hands on the ledge on either side of me and pushed his lips back to mine. Now that I was sitting I felt like a had a little bit more control. I wrapped my legs back around him pulling him back to me. I brought my hands up to his neck and ran my fingers through his hair, deepening the kiss. Our tongues dueling for dominance. I was feeling needy as I clung to him. I was so worked up and he wasn't even touching me. I pulled back slightly.

"Ben, touch me." I said panting. "Please." I didn't even care that I was begging. I just needed him to do something. He moved his hands to grip my hips and pulled me closer to him. I could feel his arousal against me. He looked down as he brought his right hand up to cup my left breast. He pressed his lips to the center of my chest. His thumb stroked over the peak of my nipple and it hardened under his caress. "Mmm" I moaned softly my eyes drifting closed. He curled his fingers into the edge of my top and pulled it to the side, revealing my breast to him. I don't know if it was because I was so aroused or because it was just him but I didn't feel as self conscious as I thought I would.

I gasped as he placed his mouth against my breast. He flicked his tongue across my nipple then sucked slightly. "Oh god Ben" I breathed out. What he was doing felt incredible and sent shock waves straight to my core. I couldn't really get the friction I needed while sitting like this. If I couldn't move against him, he was going to have to move against me. I reached down and caressed his ass before pulling him toward me. He pulled his mouth away from me and smiled.

"Tell me what you need Mal" he said to me seductively.

"I need you to touch me" I said softly.

"I'm pretty sure I am touching you" he said teasing me. His hands were sliding along my sides, as he blew against my bare nipple. The frustration was getting to me.

"No, I need you to touch me here" I said as I grabbed his hand and placed it between my leg. He smirked at me before he began running his fingers up and down my core.

"Like this?" he teased and I nodded my head. He leaned in a kissed me quickly. He pulled back slightly. "Let me know if this is too much" he said as I felt him pull back my bottoms and slide is hand in with his palm against me. I was glad I took the time last night after he left to trim up. I gasped as his fingers slid over my clit and down through my folds then back up again. He did this a couple times before he let a finger side into me slightly. I could feel how slick I was with desire as he slowly moved his finger in and out of me. It felt weird at first but then her curled his finger just right and hit a spot inside me that felt amazing.

"Oh" I moaned out as my breathing picked up. He leaned down and took my nipple back into his mouth. Working the bud with his tongue. His thumb began to graze over my bundle of nerves as his finger continued to work in and out. All the stimulation was driving me to the edge quickly. "Don't stop. I'm going to come" I moaned out gripping his hair. He brought his lips up to mine swallowing my moan as I was hit with the strongest orgasm I have ever had.

My legs shook slightly as I slumped against him and he pulled his hand from my bottoms. He pulled back and looked at me.

"Are you ok?" he asked me after he let me catch my breath. I smile up at him.

"Yes" I said. "That was just..." I wasn't sure how to finish my sentence. He looked unsure like maybe he had done something wrong. "Um...amazing." I said hoping that would reassure him. "How did you know how to do that?" I asked him. I watch him scrunch up his nose in a cute way.

"I didn't really. I just went with it and watched how you reacted and the sounds you were making and I guess I did it right" he said with a chuckle.

I know that had to affect him also. I let my hands drift from his shoulders down his chest to the waistband of his shorts. I rubbed my hand over the bulge he had going. He reached down and grabbed my hand stopping me. I looked at his face.

"Not here" he said and the confusion must have shown on my face. "I don't want to come in the pool" he told me. I looked at him for a moment before kissing him softly.

"Let's get out of the pool then" I said flirtatiously.

"Mal, we don't have to" he said as he pulled my top back into place.

"I know but I want to" I said smiling at him and palming him again for good measure. I stood up on the ledge then stepped up and out of the pool. Ben climbed out after me and grabbed my hand pulling me into the changing room just off the gym. He closed the door behind us. It was my turn to be in control.

I pushed him back up against the door. Reaching beside him to lock the door. "My turn" I said smiling at him.

"I thought it was my turn" he said with a laugh as he grabbed my waist. I winked before pressing my lips to his chest. I kissed all over his chest making my way downwards. I sank to my knees in front of him, pulling his shorts down a bit freeing him. He was hard as stone and soft as velvet as I gripped him in one hand. I slowly began to work him with my hand. I heard him groan as he leaned his head back against the door. A drop of come beaded up on the tip of his manhood. Curiously I leaned forward and ran my tongue across him licking it. It didn't taste bad and his skin was so soft. I felt him jerk at the contact.

"Mal you don't have to do that" he said. His breathing was picking up. I looked up at him then back at his erection in my hand and suddenly all I wanted was to give him head for the first time.

"I want to" I said raising my eyes back to his. He reach forward and cupped my face lovingly.

I went back to stroking him, thinking about how I was going to do this. Obviously I had never done this before, so I wasn't sure what to do. I figured I would start with licking. I ran my tongue along his length from base to tip. Sliding my tongue over the top again before sliding him slowly into my mouth, keeping my teeth away from his skin. I took as much as I could then began to suck as I pulled back up.

"Oh god baby" he moaned out, so I must be doing it right. I swirled my tongue around his head and felt his hand slide into my hair. He gripped it but didn't pull. I slid my mouth down him and sucked pulling up again, working the bottom, where my mouth didn't reach, with my hand. I did this over and over. I ran one of my hands up his abs just wanting to touch him. I could feel his muscles flexing under my hands.

"Mal, baby I'm gonna come" he said panting. I felt him begin to throb in my mouth so I pulled away. I didn't think I was prepared to swallow just yet. I continued to work his length with my hand, swiping my thumb over tip. I heard him growl in the back of his throat as he began to come on my hand. I stood and reached over for a towel that was on the shelf next to the door, cleaning my hand and him. He looked a little dumbfounded as he stared at me.

"That totally tops last night" he said with a smirk. "You didn't have to do that you know." He pulled me back to him.

"I know, but I wanted to" I said snuggling into him as he pulled me closer, hugging me.

We decided to swim for a little bit longer. I was becoming more confident in the water. I mastered swimming under water and Ben taught me how to tread water, though I still felt anxious in the deep end. I found that I really enjoyed swimming. Especially with Ben.

After swimming we got dressed and decided to watch a movie until it was time to have dinner with his parents. We snuggled together on the couch in the theater room.

"This has been a perfect date day" I said happily.

"It has" he said. "I know we don't get a lot of time like this together." I could hear the guilt in his voice.

"Ben I knew what I was getting into when I decided to be with you" I told him hoping to alleviate his guilt. He gave me a squeeze but didn't say anything and we watched a movie until Lumiere came in to tell us dinner was ready.

We walked in to the dining room to find Belle and Adam already there. They greeted us as we sat down. Mrs. Potts brought out our food. Belle was looking at me a little strangely. Probably because I just threw my hair into a ponytail after we got out of the pool so I didn't look as put together as usual. I saw her lean over and whisper to Adam, who then looked over to me. I was starting to feel uncomfortable.

The silence was broken when Belle asked us how our day was. Ben happily went into telling them about our date picking strawberries and swimming. She also asked me if I was able to finish the paper I had mentioned to her last week. I told her I had. The conversation flowed from there with Ben and Adam telling stories from their week out of town.

All throughout Belle's eyes kept falling on me. I had no idea what was going on and it was making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. And then it hit me. The love bite. I hadn't even thought about it, but I'm guessing our swim probably washed away the make-up. I suddenly wished I hadn't pulled my hair back but I honestly forgot about it all together. I wasn't sure if that was actually the problem, so I leaned over to Ben while Adam was talking to Belle and whispered in his ear.

"Can you see the love bite?" I asked him. He pulled back and looked at me and his face said it all. I leaned back in "I'm pretty sure your parents have spotted it also" I whispered. I was sure he could sense my nervousness. He grabbed my hand under the table and gave it a squeeze.

The conversation continued throughout the meal. Our plates were cleared and I thought that maybe nothing would be said.

"Son, can I talk to you in your office?" Adam asked Ben. Maybe it was business related I thought hopefully.

"Of course" Ben said as he and his father stood. Ben leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Wait for me in the theater room?" I nodded and he left the room with his father.

"Mal will you join me in the library few a few minutes?" Belle asked.

"Um, sure" I said nervously. Belle gave me a warm smile and I knew that she knew I was nervous. I stood and followed her from the room. Here we go I thought.

* * *

**Dum dum dum! Clifhanger. If you have read my other stories I'm sure you have caught on already as this particular incident has been mentioned in them. I will try to get the next chapter up soon.**

**Reviews are love!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note. Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. This chapter has been mentioned in previous stories, so I will just let you get into it. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I was pretty sure I was about to get a lecture from my dad. My parents had already given me the sex talk. Twice. Seeing the accidental love bite on Mal probably had them thinking that we were already having sex. I was just going to listen to what he had to say and go from there. We walked into my office and I sat in my chair behind my desk waiting for him to say something. He just paced back and forth in front of my desk. He seemed upset. I don't know why the thought of me having sex made him upset. They have already talked to me about using protection and the ramifications of an accidental pregnancy. I would never have unprotected sex.

"Dad" I said getting his attention. "Just say what you want to say."

"Are you being safe?" he asked. I knew what he was talking about, but I thought it would be fun to mess with him a little bit.

"Safe?" I returned trying not to smile.

"That is to say... are you practicing safe sex?" he said. I couldn't hold in my laugh anymore. He just looked so put out by the whole thing. "Ben this is not a laughing matter! You know what would happen if you got Mal pregnant. We have gone over all this with you."

"Calm down dad" I said after I contained my laughter. "Trust me I understand all the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy and if Mal and I decide to have sex we will definitely use protection I can assure you." He just stared at me for a few moments.

"So you and Mal haven't... you know?" he asked, sitting in one of the leather chairs in front of my desk.

"Had sex?" I asked, laughing at his discomfort. "Dad this is suppose to be uncomfortable for me, not you" I teased. "But to answer your question, no we haven't." He sighed in what I assume was relief.

"Well ok then" he said. "It seems that you and Mal are being intimate to an extent and I definitely don't want to know any details, but do you have any questions in regards to... you know...um having sex?" he stuttered out which made me chuckle again.

"Not really. Anything I would want to know I would ask Mal" I said.

"Ah so she is experienced? Does she know you're not?" he asked. I can see how my statement gave him the wrong impression.

"No Mal hasn't had sex either, and yes she knows I haven't. What I meant about I will ask Mal any questions I would have is because anything I would want or need to know would pertain to her. I'm sure mom is giving her a sex talk right now" I said, hoping she wasn't feeling overwhelmed right now.

"Oh yeah. That makes sense. Good communication is key when two people are thinking about being... um closer" he said. "It sounds like you and Mal have been talking about this particular subject. Do you feel like you guys are ready to take that next step?" he inquired. I thought about how I wanted to answer for a minute. I felt comfortable talking about this with him but I didn't want to go into details about the things Mal and I have done up to this point.

"We have talked about it. I feel ready but only if she is. Mal is still not sure if she is and this is such an emotional thing for me and I know it will be for her also. I don't want her getting overwhelmed with thinking about it, so I'm just making sure we take things slow" I told him. My thoughts going to Mal again. She was everything I wanted in every way and I didn't want to mess that up.

"Well it sounds like you are thinking it all through, which is more than I did before deciding to do it for the first time" he said with a chuckle. "I just want to be sure you practice safe sex when the time comes." He seemed a little calmer now that he knew Mal and I haven't had sex yet. "Let's just try not to give Mal any more hickeys where people can see them. You have a reputation to uphold. There are some, mostly elder royals, that feel that, as king, you should save yourself for marriage" he said. I knew there weren't any laws about this particular subject, just personal beliefs.

"Did you and mom wait?" I asked him. He took a moment to answer.

"No we didn't. I did know I wanted to marry her however. I knew she was it for me" he said with a smile and I knew he was thinking about mom. "I know you said you don't have any questions, but just know you can come to me for anything" he said looking back at me.

"There is one thing I am worried about" I said. He nodded at me to continue. "Well I'm worried about hurting her. Like physically. Is that a thing?" I asked hoping he knew what I was talking about.

"Well I don't know. I've only ever been with your mother. She has never indicated that it hurt, and you know your mother would have definitely let me know. My best advice is when the time comes just make sure she is turned on if you know what I mean." I lifted my eyebrows wanting him to explain what that had to do with it. Wouldn't she be turned on to even want to do it? He suddenly looked uncomfortable again. "Well when a woman is turned on she uh...well she will um...become wet and it will make things easier." he said looking down. "Self lubrication" he said, his face turning red. I nodded in understanding. Even though we were in the pool I could tell Mal was wet this afternoon. She was slick in a way that was different than water. I smiled knowing I did that to her. "Just talk to Mal, like you said. It's ok to talk to each other, even when you are having sex, that way you can learn what she likes and vice versa" he told me.

"There are other ways to be intimate without having sex you know" he said to me, giving me a pointed look. I just nodded. I did not want to go into all that with him. Especially since Mal and I have already taken a few steps in that direction.

"Thanks dad" I said trying to bring an end to this conversation.

"Anytime son. Just don't jump the gun and make me a grandpa any time soon. That can wait until marriage" he said. I smiled and nodded. "Now what do you say we get back to our girls" he said standing up.

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I followed Belle to the library. I wasn't sure if she was upset or not. She didn't look upset. Concerned maybe. I hope she didn't think I was some loose girl who was taking advantage of her son or something. I mean he is the one who marked me. Was she going to tell me I was no good for her son? Was Ben in the same position as me with Adam? Was Adam going to tell Ben he shouldn't be with me? I was getting more nervous with every step I took and by the time we made it to the library I felt like I was going to throw up.

Belle turned and closed the door before turning back to me. She now looked downright worried. She walked up to me and grabbed both of my hands.

"Mal, calm down. Everything is ok" she said as she led me over to the couch. "Let's sit." We sat on the couch and I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. "Are you ok?" she asked looking at me intently. I didn't know if I was ok, so I just shrugged my shoulders.

"Um... I'm just feeling nervous I guess" I said to her even though I knew that she already knew that.

"I just want to talk to you. I'm not going to lie, this conversation might get a little awkward" she said which did nothing to help my nerves. She just looked at me like she was trying to decide what to say next.

"I've never done this before so I guess I will just come right out and ask" she said. I had no idea what she was talking about. She took a deep breath, almost like she was nervous also.

"Mal, are you and Ben having sex?" she asked.

"NO!" I nearly shouted and I watched her shoulders drop as she relaxed. "No we haven't had sex" I said a little calmer. I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"I know things are different on the Isle and I hope you don't find this too intrusive, but I feel like I have to ask so I know how to go about this conversation" she began before asking "Have you ever had sex before?"

"No" I answered, shaking my head for emphasis.

"Ok well did your mother talk to you about it?" she asked. Was she wanting to know if my mother gave me the sex talk? Was she planning on giving me the sex talk?

"Um no. I don't think she ever saw a reason to. I don't know if you are aware of this or not, but Ben is my first boyfriend" I said to her. She nodded but I didn't know if she was nodding to say she knew or if she was nodding in understanding. I think my nerves have me overthinking things.

"Well by the looks of it, you and Ben are getting... um... closer" she said motioning to my neck. I raised my hand to the spot without thinking. "I think it might be a good idea to cover the basics with you" she said. So she was going to give me the sex talk and it didn't sound like she was going to tell me I was no good for her son. I shifted on the couch still feeling nervous.

"Uh, ok" I said not sure what I should say or do. I felt at ease talking about intimate stuff with Evie but this was Ben's mom! I don't know if I could talk to her about being intimate with her son.

"Let's start by you telling me what you do know" she said and my eyes widened at her request. Between what I've heard and the internet the act of sex isn't all that hard to figure out.

"Well I guess I know how it all works" I began. "Physically that is" I said fidgeting with Ben's ring on my finger.

"OK. Well I will tell you that sex can be a beautiful thing if it's with the person that you love. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that you love Ben and he loves you" she said smiling at me. "There are also many things that can prelude sex that couples find enjoyable. I don't know how intimate the two of you have been and I don't particularly want to know, but I do want you to be careful" she said and I could tell by how fast she was talking that she found this a bit awkward. I nodded. I didn't really want to go into the things Ben and I have done.

"When you start to become more intimate with the person you love, it seems like all your feelings intensify and every touch feels good" she said and I nodded knowing exactly what she was talking about. "It is easy to get swept away in the moment. Now Adam and I have already talked to Ben about this stuff when he first started dating Audrey. Then again just before his coronation."

"Why before his coronation?" I asked. Was it because he was with me and they thought that because I was from the Isle I might try to seduce him or something. I'm sure Belle could see me contemplating what her answer will be. She reached out and took my hand.

"It had nothing to do with you dear" she said. "As king, Ben has to uphold a certain decorum. Having a child out of wedlock could be damaging to his image and it would throw off the line of succession." I knit my brow not fully understanding what that meant.

"That means that if you and Ben were to fall pregnant before marriage your child would not inherit" she said reading my face.

"Oh! I wouldn't want that to happen. I wouldn't want to ruin Ben's reputation by getting pregnant. Not that I wouldn't want to have children with Ben, it's just that I would rather be married first and Ben and I haven't even discussed marriage let alone children, so I don't think we would want any for a long time and..." I was rambling.

"Mal" she said cutting me off and I stopped talking. "I just want you to be aware of how things are now that Ben is king and you are a Lady of the Court." I nodded for her to continue.

"I'm not saying that because Ben is king that he has to wait until marriage to have sex. Lord knows how hard that is when you are in love" she said smiling shyly at me. "Even Adam and I didn't wait" she whispered as if imparting a huge secret. I felt suddenly at ease with her admission. "I'm just saying that, if you and Ben decide you want to have sex then please use protection. I know Adam has supplied Ben with condoms and you could always go on birth control." I let my mind wander a moment. If Ben had condoms, he didn't carry them on him because he said he didn't have any last night. I smiled thinking about it. Ben probably thinks that carrying condoms would seem like he was pressuring me.

"Do you have any questions about sex?" Belle asked me pulling me from my thoughts. I did have a question and was feeling like maybe she would be able to answer it or at least give me some insight.

"How do you know when you are ready?" I asked the question I have been going back and forth on since cotillion.

"I don't know. I assume it's different for everyone" she said. I thought about it for a second. I looked up at her and knew I could be honest with her and she wouldn't judge me.

"The thing is I'm so unsure. One minute I feel like I'm ready and the next I'm not sure" I said and she nodded for me to continue. "I know this might be a little too much information but Ben and I have talked about it. He seems to feel ready but he wants me to be absolutely certain I am before we do anything." She smiled at this and I wasn't sure why. Who wants to hear that their son wants to have sex.

"I'm glad he is being a gentleman and safeguarding you. Sex can be a very emotional thing and he knows you have struggled with your emotions" she said. I hadn't even thought about that. It made me love him even more, if that was possible.

"How did you know when you were ready?" I asked her. Her face went blank for a moment. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that" I said when I realized how personal my question was.

"No worries. I want you to feel comfortable enough to ask me anything you would ask your own mother" she said.

"I don't think I would ask my mother anything about relationships or sex. She thinks love is weak, hence the reason she's a little lizard" I said and chuckled humorlessly.

"Well to answer your question, I didn't" I gave her a confused look. "In that moment it just felt right so it just happened naturally."

"You didn't have any regrets or anything?" I asked.

"No. I did feel different though. Like I was bonded to Adam in a way I wasn't before" she said with a smile and a far away look on her face. She shook her head after a moment and looked back at me. "I want you to feel like you can ask me anything. I know it may be awkward because I'm Ben's mom but I was young and in love once, so I have been in your shoes. I also know what it's like to not have a mother to turn to when you have questions. I only had my father and while I was able to confide in him he couldn't give me a woman's perspective."

"I do have one more question" I said. I was feeling more comfortable talking to her the longer we talked. I wasn't going to divulge mine and Ben's intimate details but I felt like I could ask her the questions I had that Evie couldn't answer.

"Go ahead" she encouraged.

"Well you hear a lot of things about a lot of things on the Isle. I heard that it hurts for a girl at first. Is that true?" I asked. Evie and I had talked about this before and wondered if it was true.

"I guess in certain circumstances it might hurt. I can only tell you my experience. It didn't hurt per se but it kind of felt weird to start. It gets better though" she said patting my hand to reassure me. "I think if you trust each other everything will be fine. When you start to learn from each other it gets better." I nodded.

"Even though I haven't had sex, could I still get on birth control?" I asked. "Not that I am planning on having sex right away or anything. I just think, with what you told me, maybe it would be a good idea to have the bases covered" I quickly added. Belle smiled at me.

"Yes you can get on birth control if you wish too. There are a few options in that department. You could do the pill, the shot, or an IUD" she said. "This would be something you would discuss with the doctor. I can get you set up with my doctor if you like. She can see you here at the castle so everyone doesn't have to know" she said.

"I think that would be a good idea. The press are everywhere. I can just imagine the headlines if they caught me going into a gynecologist office" I said with a sigh.

"All part of the territory I'm afraid, but we can at least shield you from that" she said to me. "Speaking of the press, you should probably avoid marking each other. I hope no one saw it while you were out today. Word spreads fast through this kingdom" she said.

"I did have it covered with make-up but I think it washed off when Ben and I went swimming this afternoon" I told her.

"Now that you are a Lady of Court, you also have to maintain a certain image" she told me.

"I understand. It won't happen again" I assured her.

"I'm not saying that what you did was bad or anything. Making out is one of the best parts of being in a young relationship and learning each others likes and dislikes. I just think you might not want the whole kingdom talking about it" she said.

"I definitely don't want that" I said. "Thank you Belle."

"For what dear?" she asked me.

"Just for being there from me. It's nice to know I have someone to turn to if I need it" I told her. She pulled me in and hugged me.

"I'll always be here for you" she said over my shoulder. She released me and looked at the clock on the wall. "Ben's probably wondering where you are" she said standing up. I stood up also. We headed out of the library in the direction on the theater room. "So I will see you tomorrow so we can start planning for the Halloween party?" she asked me.

"Yes. Do you mind if I invite Evie? I think she would be a big help" I told her.

"Of course" she said smiling at me as we walked up to the theater room. Ben was standing by the window just staring out at the landscape. "I'll see you tomorrow" Belle said and made her way down the hall to find Adam.

"Hey" I said to get Ben's attention as I stepped into the room. He must have been deep in thought because he jump a little when he heard me. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you" I said. He smiled and I walked up to him."What were you thinking about?" I asked stepping up to him.

"You" he said simply. He reached out and grabbed my hand pulling me closer to him. He reached up and stroked the side of my face and let his fingers slide down my neck where I knew the mark was. "Are you ok?" he asked softly.

"Yes" I said smiling at him. Just then my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Evie. "Evie is wondering when I will be back" I said after reading her text.

"Come on, I'll take you back. We can talk in the car" he said wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me out of the room.

* * *

"So what did your dad talk to you about?" I asked him when he climbed into the drivers seat to take me back to my dorm. I liked that he decided to drive again. It was so much more private. I heard him chuckle and he looked over at me quickly as we headed down the drive.

"What do you think he talked to me about?" he countered.

"Well if it went anything like my talk with your mom, it had to do with sex" I said. "At first I was worried that they thought I was some hussy trying to seduce their son. Your dad doesn't think that does he?" I asked feeling concerned. I knew that's not what Belle thought but Adam had a tendency to assume the worst. Ben chuckled again.

"No he doesn't think that. Yes we talked about sex and I told him that no we haven't had sex yet. You know my dad. He automatically assumed we had" he said. I nodded.

"Your mom asked if we had" I told him.

"I hope she didn't overwhelm you" he said looking a little concerned as he glanced at me.

"No. I was so nervous at first, but your mom put me at ease like she always does. You must get that from her" I said smiling at him and he threw a grin at me. "It wasn't that bad talking to her. I didn't tell her any intimate details but it was nice to be able to ask her questions that I had."

"And what questions are those?" he asked glancing at me as we pulled up outside the dorm building.

"Well I asked her how you know if you are ready for sex" I said as he turned and looked at me fully.

"And what did she say?" he asked looking truly curious.

"Just that it is different for everyone so there is no real answer. She said she didn't even know she was ready, that it just happened" I said looking up at him.

"What else did you ask her?" he asked. I could feel the flush creeping up on me and I was glad it was dark out.

"Um well I just wondered if it will hurt the first time. I have heard a few stories back on the Isle that weren't all that promising but I don't want to go off of anything that I have heard from over there because everything is so much different than what I've heard about so far" I told him.

"Yeah I asked my dad about that too" he said.

"I've never heard about it hurting the guy before" I stated incredulously. He laughed.

"No. I asked if it would hurt you not me" he said still chuckling. "I don't want to do anything that would hurt you" he said more seriously.

"Oh" I said.

"So what did she have to say about that?" he asked.

"She said it could but it didn't for her. She said it felt weird at first. I have no idea what that means but weird is better than painful right?" I asked. Ben shrugged. "She did say it gets better and that the more we know about each other the better it gets" I told him.

"Dad pretty much said the same thing. That we should talk about things as we go, which we already do. He said making sure you are really turned on will make it easier" he said with a smile. I was a little confuse. Ben turns me on all the time especially when we are being intimate. He must have saw the confusion on my face. "He said when a woman is turned on enough, her 'self lubrication' will make it easier" he said signing quotations. I laughed thinking about his dad telling him that.

"What?" he asked.

"Just thinking about your dad telling you that" I said giggling again. He smiled at my laughter

"Yeah. He was so embarrassed the whole time. It was pretty funny" he said with a chuckle.

"It makes sense though" I said to him. "Don't worry, you turn me on plenty" I said leaning toward him over the center console. He leaned in too and pressed his lips to mine briefly before pulling back slightly.

"I know" he said smugly and pecked my lips again.

"Oh yeah, how so?" I asked flirtatiously.

"Well by the way you react" he said. "I could also tell when we were in the pool today" he said with that smug smile. "You can always tell when I'm turned on but you could hide it if you wanted to" he told me.

"I guess, but its hard not to react to you" I said smiling at him. "You turn me all the time." I kissed him again, reaching up and cupping his neck so he he wouldn't pull away and deepening the kiss. He nipped my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to him, sliding my tongue against his. He began to slide his lips along my cheek and across my jaw to my neck.

"Don't you dare leave any more marks" I said to him, my voice all breathy. I felt him smile against me before placing a soft kiss where the mark he already left was.

"Don't worry, I won't" he said bringing his lips back to mine. He kissed me gently, cupping the side of my face. He pulled back slightly. "Am I turning you on now?" he asked seductively.

"Yes" I said simply, kissing him again passionately. I realized that kissing in the car like this wasn't my favorite. I couldn't get close enough to him. I guess that's a good thing considering we could be seen by anyone. That thought was like cold water and I pulled back instantly. "Ben we can't do this in the car" I said, trying to catch my breath and looking around us out the windows.

"You're right" he said looking out the windows too. There wasn't anyone around thankfully. We sat in silence for a moment just catching our breath.

"We need to be more careful. The last thing I want is everyone in the kingdom to be talking about what you and I get up to when we are alone" I said and he nodded in agreement. "Lets make sure if we leave marks they are in places other people can't see" I said with a smile.

"Ok" he said smiling back at me.

"There is something I wanted to ask you about since we are on the subject" I said to him.

"You can ask me anything" he said sincerely.

"How would you feel if I got on birth control?" I asked looking at his face to see his reaction to my question. He just looked thoughtful for a minute before he answered.

"Well it's your body. I mean it would be an extra layer of protection I guess for when we decide to take that step, but I don't want you to feel pressured or anything" he said.

"Ben, I don't feel pressured. I just think it might be a good idea. There are times when I feel like I could get swept up in how we are together, and if the time comes where it feels right I don't want us to have to stop just because we aren't covered in that area. I guess it might be a good idea if you carried condoms with you" I said smiling at him. "Your mom told me you were given some. Why don't you keep one in your wallet like other guys do?" I asked him.

"It just seems so presumptuous to me. Like I am carrying them because I expect to have sex or something" he said.

"I guess that would be true if it was like a year ago when our relationship was still new, but Ben we are kinda getting to the point with each other where we may need them at any point. I will make sure I get some to keep in my dorm just so we are covered there" I said to him.

"I guess you're right. So do you think you are going to go on birth control?" he asked.

"I think so. Your mom said she can set up a meeting with her doctor to come to the castle so the press won't know" I told him.

"Ok. You won't need me to be there with you or anything?" he asked looking a little scared about the idea.

"No" I said with a smile. "It's not anything you have to be involved in at all. More a woman's territory so I will probably just have your mom with me and maybe Evie."

"I'm glad that you and my mom are becoming so close" he said with a huge smile. I smiled back at him.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked. I was going to be over at the castle tomorrow but didn't know if he had work to do.

"I don't know. I have an early conference call and endless paper work that has piled up while I was out of town. Plus I have to finish my essay for history of magic. I already got an extension so I don't want to ask for another one" he said. I could see the thought of his mounting work stressing him out just talking about it.

"Ben, as much as I love being with you and getting to spend time with you please don't put off your work just to spend time with me" I told him. He reached over and grabbed my hand.

"Mal you are one of the most important things in my life. I want to spend time with you no matter how much work I have to do. Some things can wait" he told me seriously. I just leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. I wasn't going to argue with him. He knew his limits.

"Well I gotta go. I'm sure Evie is dying to talk to me" I said as I reached down and grabbed my bag. Ben got out of the car and walked around to open my door. "You don't have to walk me in. It will just take twice as long for me to go in" I said grinning at him as I threw my bag over my shoulder and placed my hands on his chest. He put his hands on my waist and pulled me to him.

"Are you saying I can't control myself?" he asked teasingly.

"Nope but I can't control myself lately" I said with a laugh, sliding my hands up and pulling his face towards mine and giving him a sweet goodnight kiss. I pulled back after a few moments.

"Goodnight Ben" I said.

"Goodnight Mal" he said back. I stepped around him and made my way towards the door. I turned around and saw him leaning against the car, watching me walk in.

"I love you" I called out to him.

"I love you too " he called back and I giggled as I made my way inside and up to my dorm.

* * *

**Next chapter we will find out what Evie has been up too and if she has any new advice for Mal!**

**Reviews are love!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Ok so if you have read my other stories, what happens in this chapter has also been mentioned before. I am not big on writing Evie/Doug story lines, but I wanted Evie to be Mal's sounding board and vice versa.**

**Content Warning for conversation topic and sensitive medical procedures.**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I walked into my dorm and saw Evie sitting at her desk sewing. She looked up and smiled. Sex had been the topic of the evening and it seemed that wasn't going to change by the look on her face.

"You're getting in late" she said.

"Not as late as you, getting in _this morning_" I teased smiling at her. I dropped my bag at the foot of my bed and plopped down on it. "So spill" I said to Evie. "How was your evening with Doug?" I asked smiling at her. She turned off her sewing machine and hung up the dress she had been working on before she came to sit on her bed across from me.

"It was good" she said with a shy smile. I raised my eyebrows and giving her a look. She didn't say anything and just fidgeted with the edge of her skirt.

"Come on E. I want the story. Did you guys go all the way?" I asked. Evie was being unusually shy which was very telling. She looked up at me and smiled before nodding. I smiled back at her. At least she looked happy about it. "So?" I began. "How was it?" I asked.

"Well it started out really good you know, but when we got down to the actual act, it got a little weird" she said. I just sat quietly and nodded for her to continue. "Remember how we had heard that it hurts the first time?" she asked and again I nodded. "It's not pain exactly. It's more of a stretching feeling."

"Stretching?" I asked. I thought back to when Ben and I were together in the pool and if it felt tight or stretchy when he had his finger in me, but all I remember feeling was good. I know his finger is nothing in comparison with his manhood though.

"Well it was a tight fit. I just asked him to go slow and it was fine. I didn't have an orgasm though. I think I was thinking too much, but Doug made sure I finished after." she said with a small smile.

"So did it feel good at all?" I asked. She made it sound kind of unpleasant.

"Yes, after you get past the stretching and feeling of fullness it starts to feel good. It's like there is a spot just out of reach that would get hit every now and then" she said looking deep in thought.

"Belle said that it gets better the more you know about each other" I told Evie. She looked at me in shock.

"You talked to Belle about sex?" she asked incredulously.

"Well she talked to me" I said and turned my head so the Evie could see the love bite I had. "Once she caught sight of this, her and Adam thought it was a good idea to talk to us about sex."

"Well it seems you have some things to tell as well" she said, teasing me now. "You and Ben didn't do it did you?" she asked and I shook my head no. "I didn't think so" she said.

"Why wouldn't you think so?" I asked.

"You just seemed so curious when I was telling you how it all went last night. If you had done it you would already know yourself" she stated, shrugging one shoulder. "So tell me how that hickey got there" she inquired.

"Ben and I kinda had a little time together last night after you left and one thing led to another and I didn't even realize he was doing it. It just felt good being with him" I said thinking about last night.

"So how far have you gone now?" she asked.

"Well last night we caught up to you and Doug at that point" I said with a smile. "But today I think I may have done something you haven't" I said in almost a whisper and a smile pulling up the side of my mouth. I watched as Evie's eyes grew big and her mouth dropped open.

"You went down on him?" she asked and I nodded. "How was it?" it seemed that Evie was staying one step ahead of me as far as our physical relationships with our guys went, even though Ben and I have been a couple longer. It was refreshing to be able to share something with her that she didn't have experience with yet.

"It wasn't what I ever thought it was. I mean, I wanted to do it. It was like I was craving it even though I had never done it before" I said.

"OK wait. I'm going to need you to start from the beginning" she said. I went on to tell her how things went last night and the game Ben proposed we play which got things moving, then about how things went down in the pool. "Is it strange that nothing felt strange?" I asked her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess things are different for different couples. I mean I wouldn't say things feel strange with Doug and I even though things have been awkward at times" she said. Things haven't even felt awkward with Ben. Maybe that's a good sign I thought to myself.

"So yeah even though I covered the mark up with make-up I guess it washed off in the pool and when we had dinner with Ben's parents they spotted it pretty quickly. I was so nervous when Belle wanted to talk to me. I thought I was going to puke on their designer rug in the library" I said with a giggle.

"Why would you be nervous?" she asked me.

"Well there I was with a hickey I obviously got from their son. I thought that maybe they were thinking that I was just some trollop that was out to seduce their son. Which thankfully they do not think" I said. "The more Belle and I talked the more comfortable I felt. I feel like I could go to her with questions if I need to now."

"That's great Mal!" Evie said smiling at me.

"She even said she will set it up so I can see her doctor to get on birth control" I told her.

"Do you think I could see the doctor too? We used protection, but now that Doug and I have moved on to that stage it might be a good idea to start birth control, that way all the pressure isn't just on him" she said.

"I'm sure it would be fine. I was going to ask if you wanted to come with me tomorrow to meet with Belle. We are planning the Halloween party in a few weeks and I know you are way better at party planning than I am and thought you might want to help" I said to her.

"Sounds like fun" she said smiling at me.

"Great and we can talk to Belle about setting things up with the doctor" I said. "Well I'm going to jump in the shower."

"You should probably brush you teeth too. You know, after what you've had in your mouth today" she laughed, teasing me. I stuck my tongue out at her and went into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

We had been at the castle for over an hour and I haven't seen hide nor hair of Ben. Belle said he was still on his conference call when we got here, so we went to the sitting room to start planning the activities and decorations for Halloween. I still had no idea what I was going to be. Evie and Doug have decided to go with those cheesy couples costumes and were going as Dorothy and the scarecrow from Wizard of OZ.

Mrs. Potts had just brought in lunch for the three of us and I thought now would be a good time to ask Belle about seeing the doctor.

"Belle" I said getting her attention. "Do you think you could arrange for your doctor to see both Evie and I?" I asked her. I watched her look over at Evie with a shocked expression that only lasted a moment. She looked back at me before she answered.

"Of course" she said looking back at Evie and giving her a smile. "I'm glad you girls have decided to protect yourselves against any unwanted pregnancies. I'll just give her a call now and see what we can work out" she said. She stood and walked over to the window to call the doctor.

"Well that wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be" Evie said looking over to where Belle stood on the phone.

"Belle is easy to talk to and I love that she doesn't judge" I said with a smile. Belle had become such and advocate for us VKs after Ben's coronation. She has been almost like a mother to me. I know I can go to her for anything. "Don't worry, I don't think she will ask you any personal questions" I told Evie. I looked up when I saw Belle making her way back over to us out of the corner of my eye.

"Dr. Connor will be able to see both of you girls Friday after school here at the castle" she said smiling at us. "She is going to be emailing both of you options of birth control and her opinions on them. That way you can do some research and decide which option might be the best fit for you" she informed us.

"So she can see us here?" Evie asked.

"Yes. She has always come here for my visits. It's easier with all the press. Now that the press is all over Mal, we think it's best if she comes here for her visits too. No reason not to do your visits here also." she said patting Evie on the knee. Evie smiled.

We got back to work. We managed to get invitations sent out electronically. Most people already knew about and planned on attending the Halloween party. It was traditionally held on the Saturday before Halloween, so everyone already knew the date. Evie and Belle went on to discuss activity stations and food. My head just wasn't in it. I was day dreaming when Adam walked in to see how our planning was going. I frowned when I realized Ben wasn't with him. The conference call must be over since Adam was here. I excused myself and left to go see if I could steal a minute with Ben.

I walked up to his office door and knocked. There was no answer so I tried the knob. Ben was talking to someone.

"Have them sent over" he said with a sigh. "Yes, thank you Prescott" he said pulling an ear piece from his ear in frustration. He looked up and saw me standing there.

"Mal" he said in surprise. He didn't look happy to see me but he didn't look upset either. He looked stressed.

"Hey" I said softly. "I hope I'm not bothering you" I said walking up to his desk. He rubbed both is hands down his face before dropping them to his desk.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked shortly. I was a little taken aback by his tone.

"Um no. I just wanted to see you" I said. He turned his attention to his computer typing something in.

"I'm extremely busy" he said dismissively, not even looking at me.

"Ok well I will just leave you to it" I said, the feeling of rejection setting in. I turned and made my way to the door. I thought he may try to stop me but he didn't. I walked out and felt a sudden urge to cry. I don't know why I was feeling like this. I knew he was busy but he just seemed so dismissive. He has never been that way towards me before. I took a deep breath and thought that maybe he just needs space. I mean, he spent the day with me yesterday even though he really needed to work and now it was piling up on him. I decided I would not distract him anymore and just wait for him to come to me. He needs time to catch up on all his work. I didn't want to be the reason things went to the wayside.

* * *

It was Friday and Evie and I were heading to the castle. I hadn't really talked to Ben all week. I would randomly get a simple 'I love you' text and I would respond back with "I love you too', but that was it. We walked in and Lumiere led us to the sitting room where Belle and Dr. Connor were waiting for us. Dr. Connor was about the same age as Belle with dark auburn hair that was pulled back in a low pony tail. She had fair skin and a friendly face as she smiled at us.

"We can head up to your suite. It will be more comfortable there" Belle said to us with a smile. I smiled at the fact that she called the suite we used when we stayed here, as our suite. We all made our way up to the suite.

I had already emailed Dr. Connor and told her which birth control I thought I wanted to use. I was feeling nervous. I had never been to the gynecologist before. No one has ever seen me naked before, except Evie and the little bit Ben has seen, but he has never seen me down there.

"Well ladies, who would like to go first?" Dr. Connor asked, turning to us after we all stepped into the suite sitting room. I looked over at Belle and she smiled at me encouragingly.

"I guess I will go first" I said forcing a small smile. Dr. Connor smiled at me and I made my way over to the door to the bedroom and we went in. I watched as she set her bags on the bed next to a stack of sheets and pulled out her tablet.

"Well in your email we covered that you don't have any allergies and have had a normal period for the last couple of years correct?" she asked and I nodded. "OK have you had sex before and if so how many partners?" she asked.

"No I have never had sex" I said.

"Ok we can forgo a pap smear then" she said typing away on her tablet. "So you have chosen to go with an IUD. May I ask why you chose this option?" she asked looking up at me.

"Well I'm not all that fond of the idea of getting a shot every few months and I'm worried I would forget to take a pill or change the patch" I said. "Even though getting it placed doesn't sound like a walk in the park, it just seems like the option that would work best." She smiled and nodded at me.

"I'm glad you did some research on it. Now when was the first day of your last period?" she asked.

"Sunday evening" I said. My period had started after we got back from planning with Belle. I even called Belle to see if because I started my period if we would have to change our appointment and she told me no that it was actually good timing.

"Are you still on your period?" she asked after typing it in on her tablet.

"No it ended yesterday" I said and watched her begin to type again. She had to log every detail it seemed.

"That is actually good. You cervix will still be low" she said matter-of -factly. I had read about getting an IUD and was worried about the pain I might feel.

"So how bad will it hurt?" I asked.

"With some women it doesn't hurt at all while with others there is some significant pain. With you still being a virgin, there will probably be some discomfort and possibly pain. You may also experience some cramping and bleeding after insertion, which is normal. We will wait about a half an hour after it is placed and if you are in any significant pain, that would indicate that it is not placed correctly and I will take a look" she informed me.

"Ok" I said simply.

"Will the fact that I'm part fairy change anything?" I asked, the thought just now coming to me.

"No. That is genetic. Outside of having magical abilities your body works the same as any other woman's" she said with a smile.

"Ok" I replied.

"I will step out for a few moments so you can strip from the waist down and lay on the bed placing a pillow under your hips. You may cover with a sheet if you like" she said giving me a small smile before leaving the room. I quickly stripped and laid down placing a pillow under my hips like she said and grabbing a sheet to cover with. I didn't know why I was even bothering. She was going to have to see what she was doing. I guess it was more for comfort. She came back in and began pulling things out of her bag. She pulled on some gloves and asked me to pull my knees up. She pushed a disposable underpad under my backside.

"OK Lady Mal, if you'll just relax this will only take a few minutes" she said offering a warm smile. I nodded and turned my eyes to the ceiling. "OK I'm going to put some lubricant gel on you to make things easier" she said. She put the cold gel on me before she inserted her tool. It felt a little intrusive. Now I understood about the stretching thing Evie was talking about because I was feeling quite a bit of stretching going on. After a moment I felt a sharp pinch followed by some cramping. I gasped at the sudden pain but it wasn't too bad. "Just breath" she said. "Ok it's inserted, I'm just checking it's position" she said. She finished and removed her tool using the underpad to wipe off the gel that was on me. "All done. Are you feeling cramping?" she asked as she reached for my hand to help me sit up.

"A little bit, not too bad" I said. It felt similar to how I felt at the beginning of my period.

"Ok well we will monitor you for the next half hour, and if you are feeling ok then you are good to go" she said smiling at me. She left to let me get dressed.

When I walked back out Belle was sitting on the couch looking at her phone and Evie and Dr. Connor were no where to be seen. I assumed they must be in the other bedroom. Belle looked up when I closed the door behind me.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" she asked me.

"Pretty good. I just kinda feel like I'm about to start my period" I said. She smiled at me and patted the seat next to her indicating that I should sit.

"That's normal. That's how I felt when I got mine as well" she told me when I sat down. We chatted for a while and Dr. Connor came out so that Evie could strip. She decided to go with an IUD as well. She asked me again how I felt. I informed her that the cramping was getting lighter and she seemed pleased. She went back in to attend to Evie. It wasn't long before she came back out. A few minutes later Evie came out also.

"OK ladies, I figured it would be easier to give both of you this information at the same time." she began. "Now your hormonal IUD will protect you against pregnancy for up to five years. If there is a time in that five years were you plan on having children you can make an appointment to have it removed. I have the date logged so that we can make an appointment when the time comes to replace your IUD." It sounded like she had all this information memorized, which she probably did. "You may have sex twenty-four hours after insertion but will not be protected from pregnancy for the next seven days, since neither of you are currently in the first seven days of your period." She went on to tell us how to do a string check and what to do if we feel like something isn't right.

She stayed another twenty minutes before asking us how we felt. We both felt fine, with minimal cramping. She told us some other side effects we might feel over the next several hours but if we experience any unusual pain, heavy bleeding or nausea and vomiting we need to call her immediately.

"Thank you so much Dr. Connor. It means a lot that you came to us" I said.

"You're quite welcome Lady Mal. Please call if you need anything" she said before leaving the suite.

"Why don't you girls stay here tonight. That way if either of you have any problems you won't have to come back here to see the doctor." Belle said turning to us.

"Ok. The doctor did say to take it easy" I said.

The three of us decided to just hang out in our suite and watch tv even though we did more talking than watching tv. I was telling Belle that I had decided on my Halloween costume when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in" Belle called out. The door open and Ben walked in.

"Hey. I was looking for you and Lumiere told me you were up here with Mal and Evie" he said to his mother, before his eyes fell on me in confusion. I hadn't told him that I was going to be there to see the doctor. I was going to tell him when I went to see him last Sunday but decided against it when I saw how busy he was. I didn't want him to have something else on his mind when he didn't need to. I was trying not to take his demeanor last time I saw him and the lack of communication personally. I felt like there was an awkward tension between us. I suddenly felt like I wanted to leave the room.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom" I said to no one in particular and stood a little too quickly. I felt really dizzy as I stood up and swayed on my feet. Belle who was sitting right beside me, stood and grabbed my arms to steady me. Ben took three long strides and was by my side in a flash with one hand on my back while he grabbed my forearm with the other.

"Mal what's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I'm fine" I said as the dizziness slipped away. "The doctor said having a little dizziness is normal right?" I said looking at Belle and she nodded. "I'm going to go use the bathroom now. Excuse me" I said as I pulled away from them. I made my way into my room without any more dizziness. I must have just stood up too fast I thought to myself. I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. My thoughts on Ben. I felt like I didn't know how to act around him suddenly. I didn't want to say or do anything that might stress him out and I certainly didn't want to add to his busy schedule. I was worried that he may feel obligated to spend time with me when he was already so busy.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find Ben sitting on my bed. I jumped at the sight of him, stopping in my tracks, not expecting him to be there.

"Hey" I said quietly to him. He obviously wanted to talk to me.

"Hey" he said back to me. "How are you feeling?" he asked me. I assume his mom told him why we were here.

"Alright I guess" I said and watched him look me up and down. Was he expecting me to look different? I crossed my arms across my chest feeling very self conscious suddenly.

"Mal, why didn't you tell me you were seeing the doctor today?" he asked as he stood and walked up to me. He was only a few inches from me. I could feel his body heat coming from him. My first instinct was to reach for him but I resisted. I wanted him to make the first move. I didn't want to start something if he needed to get back to work.

"I was going to, but you were so busy and I didn't want to worry you with anything else" I said softly looking down at our feet. "You have enough on your mind without worrying about me." I felt Ben place his finger under my chin lifting my face to look at him.

"Mal you are always on my mind" he said and suddenly his lips were crushed to mine and he was pulling me to him. My hands went to his chest as they were trapped between us. He was kissing me with an urgency, like all he needed in that moment was to kiss me. I kissed him back, sweeping my tongue against his, missing the taste of him, the feel of him. I pushed my hands up running my fingers through his hair, grateful that he wasn't wearing his crown.

He broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine panting from our frenzied kiss."I miss you" he said, his hands rubbing up and down my back.

"I miss you too" I said back. He took a deep breath and stepped back from me, grabbing my hands in both of his.

"I know I have been busy. I'm sorry if you are feeling neglected" he said looking at my face intently.

"Ben it's ok" I began. " Of course I miss you and want to be with you, but I understand. You have to run an entire kingdom. You know I can be patient" I said, giving his hands a squeeze. He sighed in frustration. "What?" I asked him.

"I just hate that we have to be apart so much. I'm just swamped. Every time I think I'm getting caught up more gets dumped on me. I feel like I'm never going to get it all done." he said.

"You will" I said encouragingly smiling at him. He let go of my hands and plopped down on my bed putting his hands behind his head as he laid back, with his legs dangling over the side.

"Yeah, but I don't know when I will have any time to do anything fun. The Halloween party is in two weeks and with all I have to do, that may be the first time I will be able to have a break" he said looking at me sadly. "And at this rate, I think I will just be going as a king" he said with a chuckle.

"Well you will be the best looking king there" I said as I came to sit next to him.

"So tell me how it went with the doctor today" he said trying to change the subject.

"It went fine. I did get on birth control so we are set when we decide to move forward" I said and Ben wagged his eyebrows at me. I reached over swatting his chest. "Benjamin!"

"What? The whole reason you got on birth control is because we seem to be heading in that direction. I'm not saying that now that you are on birth control we have to have sex. I would never pressure you" he said matter-of-factly. "But I won't lie and say that the idea of being with you in that way isn't appealing." He sat up and cupped my face. "Whenever you are ready" he said simply and kissed me sweetly. He pulled back and just stared into my eyes for a moment.

"I don't know why you even want to be with me when I can't give you the time you deserve" he said in almost a whisper as he let his thumb skim across my cheek. I reached up and grabbed his hand that was touching my face and turned my head and pressed a kiss to his palm before turning to look back at him.

"Because you are the only one who can make me feel the way I do. Because you are the only one who sees the real me. Because I love you" I said staring into his eyes. He leaned in and kissed me again.

"I'm so glad you do" he said when he pulled away. "I love you too." He began to stand up. "Unfortunately I need to get back to work" he said sighing again. "I don't know if I will have any time to be with you before the Halloween party" he said pouting at me, making me giggle.

"That's ok. I'm starting a project for art that I can throw myself into" I said hoping the appease his guilt, as I stood up also.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" he said and pulled me into a hug.

* * *

**Royal duties are keeping our couple apart :( Hoping to get the next chapter up this weekend.**

**Reviews are love!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Halloween is coming and I have decided to put the holidays in this story rather than going back to put them in Holidays. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

It was Saturday and only one week until the Halloween party. Ben and I had only been able to exchange a few texts here and there and a couple calls before I would go to bed.

Evie was sitting at her sewing machine putting her final touches on my costume.

"So what made you decide to go as a nurse this Halloween?" Evie asked me. I looked up from my art textbook.

"It came to me when Belle called Dr. Connor and set up our appointment" I said lifting one shoulder in a shrug. "I was thinking it would be a change. You know getting away from my normal purple. Besides it seems kinda like a flirty costume. Ben and I probably won't get to see each other until I am wearing it. We could have a little fun. Check his vital signs and all that" I said with a small smile, winking at her and we both laughed. Her phone chimed with a message. She looked at her phone.

"Speaking of Ben" she said with a grin as she read her text and quickly replied back. Why was Ben texting her? I hope she hadn't told him what my costume was.

"E, you better not have told him what my costume is. I want it to be a surprise" I said pointing my finger at her. She looked up from her phone and shook her head.

"I haven't" she said looking back at her phone when it chimed again. What were they going back and forth about? Were they talking about me?

"Are you guys talking about me?" I asked. Evie looked up at me and giggled.

"No Mal. Ben was just telling me that he sent Dizzy's invitation over to the Isle. He was asking me how I was doing with my list of other VKs" she informed me. "I'm having a hard time. There are so many who would do well here I think. I may need your's and the boy's help with coming up with a shorter list" she said.

I had been so wrapped up in my relationship with Ben I had forgotten all about bringing new kids over. Ben hadn't mentioned it either but it must be one of the things that was keeping him so busy. Evie's phone chimed again.

"Ben thinks it might be a good idea if the five of us got together to go over it" she said reading her phone. "After Halloween because he said he is so busy right now but catching up" she read and then looked up at me. I sighed. Ben hadn't made it to any of his classes all week and sent a runner to get all of his work he needed to do up until Halloween.

"He is hoping to be caught up by Halloween" I said. "He has been so busy that we have barely even talked this week." Evie gave me a sad look. "It's fine. We talked last Friday and I knew he had a full plate. I have just been throwing myself in to my art project that will be a large chunk of my grade this quarter" I said and held up my textbook to show her. She sent me a smile.

"You seem to not be as stressed out as you were before cotillion, even though you aren't getting to see Ben as much" she commented.

"It wasn't just my time with Ben that was stressing me out. It was more being hounded by the press and all the pressure and royal duties that were getting to me. I have come up with a system to handle the press when they come at me with all the questions and I have quite neatly delegated my current royal duty to you" I told her with a smile. Evie had jumped right into helping Belle with the Halloween party and they were enjoying working together, so I was able to get out of it. I wasn't very good at that stuff. Evie smiled over at me.

"I do miss Ben and I can't wait to see him next week, but I'm glad I have something to do to keep myself busy" I said. I didn't want to have that idle feeling I had last week when Ben was out of town. I looked over at the clock on the bedside table and closed my textbook.

"I'm going to meet Derek at the library to work on our project" I said to Evie as I stood and put my book into my bag and slid it over my shoulder.

"Ok, I will probably be done with your costume by the time you get back so you can try it on and we can do any alterations if we need to" she said as she went back to working on my costume.

"You're the best E" I said smiling at her before I turned and left our dorm.

* * *

I had spent all my free time working on my art project with my partner Derek. I was glad that he was my partner because he was so good with abstract art and his idea for our project was amazing. We had to do an abstract piece that represented Auradon. I had immediately thought of Ben but had no clue what we could possibly do. Derek instead came up with the idea of mixing Adam as the beast with Belle, as they had founded Auradon by uniting the kingdoms. We decided that we would do it as a large sketch without color. We found pictures in the library of Adam as a Beast and I asked Belle if she had any pictures of her when she was younger that I could use for my sketch. The photo she gave me was a beautiful picture of her and her horse Philippe. Her hair was longer and down, blowing in the wind. I could see so much of Ben in her in this picture.

We spent all our time after school in the art room, library, or the court yard working on our project. I sketched the right hand side of Belle's face on some transparent paper, while Derek did the left hand side of Adams face as the beast and we were able to put them together. It took us a few tries because our scales wouldn't match up.

Our sketch had finally come together beautifully. It was so beautiful that I asked Derek if I could have it when it was returned to us so that I could give it to Belle and Adam for Christmas. He said I had an emotional tie to it, where it was only an art project for him so he didn't have a problem with me keeping it. Derek was one of those artsy types of people you think of when you picture an artist. He was a good looking guy I guess. He always had paint or chalk on him from some sort of art piece he was working on. I loved art, but not to the extreme that he did.

It was Friday and Derek and I were walking out of our art class. We just turned in our project and we were so proud of it.

"I think we nailed that project" he said to me as we walked through the court yard.

"Yep. It was a great idea to mix Belle and Adam, you know taking it back where it all started" I said dramatically to be funny. He laughed and I watched as he looked around.

"I think I'm going to hang out in the court yard and paint. The leaves on the trees are changing and I think I want to capture the fall" he said in a wistful voice, still looking around and we stopped.

"Is art all you do?" I asked teasing him. He just smiled. "Well thanks for being my partner. I don't know what I would have come up with without you" I said before giving him a friendly hug. "See you later" I said smiling at him and giving a little wave before I turned to make my way to the dorm building.

As I walked towards the entrance to the dorms I noticed a lot of reporters. More than normal. They all started their questions as I approached. It sounded like a bunch of jumbled words and I only caught a couple questions.

Where is the King?

What are you being for Halloween?

Are you and the King still a couple?

That last question caught me off guard. Why would they think we weren't a couple anymore. I know Ben and I hadn't seen each other in two weeks now, but things were fine between us, outside of missing each other. Nothing had gone on, to my knowledge, that would make anyone think we broke up?

"The King and I are fine. The King is just very busy running the kingdom. Now if you will excuse me" I said as I made my way past all the reporters and stepped into the dorm building. The questions had me so shaken that I felt the need to text Ben just to make sure things really were fine.

_**I love you**_

The text was short and wasn't a conversation starter, so it wouldn't interrupt him too much if he was busy and his response would let me know if things were ok or not.

_**I love you too**_

His text came back a couple minutes later and I sighed in relief. If something was going on, I would think he wouldn't reply right away. Ben won't text back if he is pissed at me for something. I had found that out last Valentines Day.

* * *

It was now Saturday and I was in my dorm. Evie and I had gone to the spa this morning and I decided to get waxed for the first time. I was hoping Ben and I could sneak away and get some alone time tonight and I wanted to be well groomed if he was going to explore that area again. I was left to get ready for the party on my own because Evie left a little while ago to go get ready with Doug. I texted Ben to see if he was just going to meet me there or if he wanted to come here and we would go together. I was late last year so I didn't know if this was an event he was announced at and I hadn't thought to ask.

He wasn't texting back and I was starting to worry. What if something was wrong? No, I thought. He texted me back yesterday. Things were fine. The party was going to start in an hour. If I didn't hear from him in the next forty-five minutes I would just head over to the castle on my own. I went about finishing getting ready and trying not to worry. The forty -five minutes passed quickly and I still hadn't heard from Ben. I tried to convince myself that he was just busy trying to get things done before the party. Maybe he misplaced his phone. Any excuse I could think of to keep me from worrying, although it wasn't working.

In all my worry I wound up coming in a little late. Not as late as last year. Just like ten minutes or so. I stepped into the ballroom and scanned the crowd for Ben. I saw Evie making her way over to me quickly.

"I need to talk to you" she said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the ballroom. We headed down the hall to the sitting room and Evie closed the door even though no one else should be coming in this part of the castle.

"Evie what is going on?" I asked as she pulled out her phone and started looking for something. "Have you seen Ben?" I asked.

"He came in with his parents about ten minutes ago and I haven't seen him since" she said. "Mal, you have to see this" she said seriously handing me her phone. It was opened to an article. I gasped, my mouth dropping open in surprise as I read the headline. I quickly read the article.

* * *

_**Trouble in Royal Paradise? Is Lady Mal on the Prowl?**_

_ Lady Mal has been spotted with a mystery man nearly every day over the last two weeks. The King has only been seen out and about once in that time, when he was spotted having dinner with his parents last night at The Garden Grill. Many are speculating that the couple have called it quits. The last time the couple was seen together in public was at Princess Anxelin's Birthday Ball on September thirtieth, where all seemed well with the kingdom's favorite couple._

_ Prior to The Royal Cotillion, which took place six weeks ago, it is rumored that the pressures of royal life had taken it's toll on Lady Mal and she returned to the __Isle of the Lost. Her friends, Evie, Jay, and Carlos De Vil, along with the King, were able to convince her to return._

_ Now Lady Mal has been photographed with the same man (pictured below) several times over the last couple of weeks. Lady Mal made a statement saying that she and the King were fine, but has the pressure or royal life finally taken it's toll on the former villain turned good once again? Was the speculated break up mutual?_

_ It seems that instead of running back to the Isle to nurse a broken heart, the beloved VK has opted for the company of a new man. No news on how the King is doing. He seems to be keeping to himself. How does he feel about Lady Mal's new man? Looks like true love didn't last for pair._

* * *

I looked at the pictures that they had with the article. There was a picture of me and Derek sitting in the court yard together. We were both smiling at each other. This was when we put the our sketches together and saw roughly what the final picture would look like. The next picture was a picture of Ben leaving the restaurant last night. He looked so tired and I felt my heart squeeze. I hadn't seen him in so long. Then there was another picture of Derek and I. It was taken yesterday afternoon when I hugged Derek thanking him for being my partner. Looks like the press have twisted things. I growled in frustration. That must be what the questions were about yesterday.

"Evie when did you see this article?" I asked feeling panic start to rise in me.

"This afternoon. Why?" she asked.

"How did Ben look when you saw him tonight?" I asked handing her phone back to her.

"Um I didn't really get a good look at him. All I know if he has a white jacket on" she said.

"Evie, that article is not true. Derek is my art partner. The pictures were taken when we were working on our project" I said feeling the urge to cry creep up on me. "Ben must have seen the article. He hasn't been answering my texts and I thought it was because he was busy. Now I understand the questions the reporters were asking me yesterday" I said as I started to pace.

"Questions?" Evie asked.

"Yeah. Reporters were asking if we were still a couple while others were asking where Ben was. I wondered why they would ask that and it made me wonder if something was wrong that I didn't know about, so I texted Ben and he texted back like normal, so I didn't think anything of it, but if this article just came out today that would explain why he isn't answering my texts now" I said in a rush.

"Evie I have to find Ben. I have to tell him that the article isn't true" I said. I turned and walked to the door to head back to the ballroom. Evie followed me. "Lets split up. Text me if you find him" I said and she nodded and headed off into the crowd.

I wasn't sure what Ben was dressed up as. What costume has a white jacket I thought. I walked over to the table where punch was being served. Ben wasn't there but Jane and Carlos were. They were dressed up as Buddy the Elf and Jovi from the movie Elf. Out of the few couples costumes I had seen, this one had to be the cutest.

"Hey have you guys seen Ben?" I asked them.

"Not since he came in, but I like your costume" Jane said looking me up and down with a smile. I smiled back at her.

"Thanks" I said. "Tell Ben I'm looking for him if you see him" I told them as I walked away. I scanned the room again and saw who I thought was Belle and Adam. I headed in their direction. They also went with a couples costume this year. Adam was dressed as King Louis and Belle was Marie Antoinette.

"Hey have you guys seen Ben?" I asked as I stepped up to them quickly.

"Mal don't you look cute. I didn't know you and Ben were doing a couples costume" Belle said to me.

"We aren't. The last time I talked to Ben about his costume he still didn't know what he was going to be. I didn't tell him what I was coming as" I told her. She smiled brightly at me.

"Well it must be serendipity then" she said. I was confused and it must have shown.

"Ben is dressed up as a doctor." Adam clued me in. "We haven't seen Ben since we came in. He headed off pretty quickly" he said to me. They must not have seen the article yet. I smiled at them as if nothing was wrong.

"Ok. Thanks. If you guys see Ben will you tell him I'm looking for him?" I asked.

"Of course dear" Belle said to me.

"I'll see you guys later" I said before I headed back into the crowd, looking for Ben. So Ben was dressed up as a doctor and I was a nurse. I smiled at the thought that we unintentionally matched our costumes. Must be kismet I thought. I pulled out my phone and texted Evie.

_**Any luck? **_

I moved to the edge of the ballroom near the entrance.

_**Nope. It seems like no one has seen him since he came in. He just disappeared.**_

Where could he be? It seemed that he wasn't at the party anymore. That left two places he would be. Either in his office or his room. I turned and left the ballroom and headed in the direction of his office. Lumiere was coming down the hall Ben's office was on.

"Hey Lue, is Ben in his office?" I asked him.

"No my lady. I did see him heading up the back stairs about thirty minutes ago" he told me in his thick french accent.

"Thanks" I said and I headed towards the stairs. He must be in his room. As I approached his door I contemplated on whether I should knock or not. I didn't want to upset him any more than he already was by barging in, so I reached up and lightly knocked. There was no answer. I tried the knob and found his door was unlocked. I pushed it open slowly and looked around the room for Ben. I didn't see him but saw that his balcony doors were open. I headed for the balcony doors. I noticed his doctors jacket was thrown over the chair that sat at the end of his bed. I walked up to the balcony and there he was. His back was to me, his hands leaning on the stone railing in front of him. I couldn't see his face, but just his posture told me he was stressed. All I wanted to do was go to him and make him feel better but something told me not to.

"Hey" I said softly. I watched his shoulders tensed up at the sound of my voice. "I've been looking for you everywhere" I said to him. He didn't turn around. Didn't even look at me.

"Yeah well you found me" he said, his voice soft and cold. He sounded angry. I made the right choice not to go to him. I don't know how I would feel if he pushed me away.

"Ben" I said hoping he would turn around. He took a deep breath, letting his shoulders drop. I could tell he was tired both physically and emotionally.

"Mal please go. I don't want to talk to you right now" he said. I felt like I had been slapped.

"Ben, I can explain" I said in a pleading voice as tears sprang to my eyes.

"I don't want to hear it, I think I need some time" he said still not turning to look at me.

"We haven't seen each other in two weeks" I said and I heard him let out a humorless chuckle through his nose.

"Well more time apart won't be so hard then will it?" he told me. "Leave Mal" he said, his words sounding angry and final. I felt a sob building up in my throat. I turned and practically ran from the room. I ran all the way down the stairs and out the door. I ran until I was at the door to my dorm.

I threw myself on my bed and let myself cry. What did Ben mean by more time apart? Was that it? Was he breaking up with me? I wish he would let me explain. I tried to think about how I would feel if the roles were reversed. Would I shut him out? Probably. Like Ben I would want time to think. Is that all he wanted? He sounded so final when he told me to leave. I just didn't know what to think.

* * *

**Let the drama begin! No worries it doesn't last too long and we all know how the story goes.**

**Reviews are love.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: Hey guys. Sorry for such a late update. I got busy with Christmas. I hope everyone had a good holiday. Now let's get into Ben's head a little bit. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I stood on my balcony for a long time after Mal left. She said she could explain, but the article said it all. I didn't know what to think. Mal and I had hardly been able to even speak to each other over the last two weeks and we hadn't seen each other at all. Now I'm seeing articles about her and some other guy.

Chad had texted me the first article about an hour and a half before the party started. There were two other articles similar to the first. All of them showing different pictures of Mal with the same guy. Hanging out in the court yard or walking around campus. They both seemed so happy in all the pictures. Then there was a picture of them hugging. It was gut wrenching to see after reading the articles.

I didn't understand what had happened. Mal and I were in a good place the last time we had been together. Hell we were taking steps in progressing our relationship. I thought things were becoming more serious between us. I knew I was putting her on the back burner but she said she understood. I guess she needed more than I can give her right now. I was pissed at myself that I let this happen. Of course I didn't think Mal was the type to just move on without even ending things with me, but then again she left and ran to the Isle without really ending things the first time, so this situation wasn't far fetched.

When she showed up here tonight, I felt disgusted. How could she show up here after what she has done? I couldn't even look at her. I was crushed. My heart felt shattered. How was I suppose to move on from this? She hadn't chose to run this time, so I would be seeing her. Watching her move on with her life. Moving on with some other guy who could give her the time I couldn't. The time that she deserved.

That was probably what I was struggling with most right now. The fact that I was so busy and couldn't spend any time with her. It was my fault she turned to someone else. I wish this wasn't happening.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, expecting to see a text from Mal. If it really wasn't anything she would try to text me I thought. There wasn't anything from Mal. Just a text from Evie. I swiped the screen and read her text.

_**Has Mal found you?**_

Wasn't Mal with her?

_**About an hour ago. Isn't she with you?**_

I looked at the time Evie sent the text. It was about twenty minutes ago.

_**No I haven't seen her in over an hour. I just wanted to make sure she found you. I'm guessing she's not with you?**_

I sighed. I just wanted tonight to be over with.

_**No she's not with me. I'm going to bed. I've had a long few weeks. I'll text you later this week about meeting up for the VK list**_.

I didn't want to be a dick to Evie but I knew she was going to keep texting me about Mal. I didn't want to talk about Mal. I didn't want to even think about Mal but that was all my traitorous thoughts kept going to. I went back into my bedroom, stripping out of my clothes to jump in the shower so that I could just go to bed.

* * *

I spent the whole day Sunday, dodging my parents questions. I also turned my phone off after receiving a number of text messages and missed calls from Audrey. Some of my friends had texted me but I didn't read any of them. I didn't want to even think about it right now. As far as I knew Mal and I were over and she has already moved on. She is the only one who wasn't texting or calling. That spoke volumes to me. If it wasn't what it seemed I would think she would try to talk to me. I didn't leave the castle cause I knew the press would hound me.

It was now Monday and my limo pulled up outside of school. I hadn't even been able to attend classes for a month. I kept up with as much of my school work as I could, so I wasn't behind while I was dealing with my royal work load. I managed to get caught up on everything for the time being. It was the end of the year so I expected work to get busy again. I was glad because it would help keep my mind off of Mal.

I slipped on some sunglasses as I stepped out of the limo to flashing lights and a million questions.

_Your Majesty are the rumors true?_

_Are you and Lady Mal done?_

_What caused your break up?_

_How do you feel about Lady Mal's new guy?_

I didn't say anything as I made my way through the crowd of reporters. Every question was like a punch in the gut. At least I had two hours before I would have to deal with things head on when I would see Mal in our Magical History class. I went straight to my first class. I just wanted to get the day over with.

My first class finished quickly and I had a free hour before Magical History. I thought I would go to the library so that I could hopefully finish my essay and turn it in today. I had gotten a extension and had until the end of the week to turn it in but I just wanted to get caught back up to everyone else.

I sat down in a far corner in the library hoping no one would bother me or come ask me about my failed relationship. There was a couple sitting close together at another table. It looked like they were trying to find some privacy too. I looked over at them briefly. The guy looked familiar. Then it hit me. That was the guy Mal had been photographed with. He was looking very cozy with a girl who was not Mal. Looks like he had a side piece. The thought crossed my mind that maybe I should tell Mal. Maybe then she would know how it felt. I just wish I didn't feel so angry. I wish she would have just broke things off with me and saved us this humiliation. I snapped a picture of the pair. I didn't look at any of the many text messages that I had received and just sent the picture to Evie.

_**You might want to tell Mal that she's not the only one**_.

I figured it would be better if Evie delivered the message. Maybe Mal already knew and didn't care. My phone started ringing. Evie was calling. I quickly silenced my phone. I didn't really want to talk to Evie about Mal's new love life problems.

_**Can't talk. I'm in the library.**_

I figured that would keep her from calling back. She was also in my Magical History class so I would see her next hour anyhow. I went ahead and turned my phone back off and I got busy with finishing my essay to take my mind off everything. I had just finished my essay when the bell sounded to go to Magical History. Time to face the music I thought.

I walked in and sat in my seat which was just one seat over from where Mal sat. Almost everyone was in class by the time I saw Evie walk in. Mal however wasn't with her. If looks could kill, the look that Evie gave me before sitting in her seat would have struck me dead. Fairy Godmother took role. She called Mal's name and looked up seeing that her seat was empty. Evie raised her hand.

"Yes Evie" Fairy Godmother said.

"Mal isn't well" Evie said.

"Thank you for letting me know" Fairy Godmother said. Her eyes shot to me for a split second.

What was wrong with Mal? Was it even my place to worry about her anymore. I am king, so showing concern for my people wouldn't be out of place. Why was Evie mad at me? I figured if she was going to be angry at anyone, shouldn't it be Mal.

"Evie" I called out to her as she was walking down the hall when class let out. She turned and glared at me.

"What's wrong with Mal? Is she sick?" I asked. She probably just didn't want to face everything I thought. She's going to have to at some point.

"What do you care?" she said coolly.

"Hey just because Mal moved on doesn't mean I don't care" I said, going with the truth. I still cared about her. Hell, I still loved her. She scoffed at me.

"I guess you have decide what's true then" she said almost sadly. What was that suppose to mean?

"To answer your question, I don't know if she is sick. She has locked herself in the bathroom and won't talk to anyone. That is where I found her when I got back from the party Saturday night and that is where she has been ever since. I have had to use Lonnie's shower the last two days" she said. We stood there in silence for a few moments.

"Why didn't she tell me she didn't want to be with me?" I asked slowly in a low voice. Evie just looked at me like I had lost my mind. All the anger was gone from her face now and all that was left was pity.

"You should talk to Mal. She has all the answers you need" she said. "And by the way the guy's name is Derek and the girl that was in the picture you sent me is his girlfriend, Emily" she added before turning on her heel and walking away. So Mal was the side piece I thought. I wondered if Evie had told Mal about this guy's girlfriend.

I finished out the school day and headed home. I had to dodge a lot of reporters again getting into the limo. As soon as I got home my parent's started in with the questions again.

"Look I don't want to talk about it ok. I don't know what happened" I finally shouted and stormed off to my office. The last thing I needed was to get behind on work again. I fired up my computer to check my e-mail. Of course there would be one from Queen Leah.

* * *

To: King Benjamin of Auradon

From: Queen Leah of South Riding

Your Majesty,

It seems you have made the wise choice to distance yourself from that villain. Like I have informed you in the past, I feel that it would be in the best interest of the kingdom if you chose a suitable princess to be your Lady. You and Audrey have so much history and make a beautiful couple. Tying our families together could only strengthen the kingdom and future royal bloodlines. Please don't overlook her as choice for your's and the kingdom's future. She would make you proud and spare you the humiliation you have been put through while with that villain. Think it over.

Respectfully Yours,

Queen Leah

* * *

Exactly what I would expect from Queen Leah. I decided to go ahead and turn my phone back on. There were tons of missed text messages. I started with the ones from my parents. It was mostly just them telling me they are there if I needed to talk. There was one message from Jay just asking me what going on. The bulk of the texts were from Audrey.

_**How are you?**_

_**I know what all this feels like. So I'm here if you need to talk.**_

_**I always knew Mal would play you.**_

_**You deserve so much better.**_

_**Ben, I'm really worried about you.**_

_**Look I will cut my retreat short if you need me too.**_

_**You really should call me.**_

_**We were so good together. We can be again.**_

I knew she would jump at any opportunity to try to get back with me. The thing is we weren't good together. I didn't love her the way I love Mal. I decided to go ahead and listen to my voice mail. There was one from my mom telling me to call her and one from Evie that I am guessing she left when I silenced her call earlier today, because that was the only time she called me. There were two messages from Audrey.

_"I know what you are going through. Give me a call."_

_"Hey Bennyboo. I just wanted to let you know that I will be home for the Christmas Ball. I thought maybe we could go together. It would look so good for you to have a princess on your arm again. Let me know."_

I sighed. I had just started organizing things for the Christmas Ball. We only held the Christmas Ball every other year. All the rulers and royals from all the regions usually attended. This was my first Christmas Ball as king and I didn't realize how much planning went into it. It was going to be a lot like planning the royal cotillion only bigger. Maybe I could recruit Jane to help. She was a life saver at cotillion. This would have been the first event here in Auradon headed up by us that Mal and I would have been formally introduced together in front of everyone. I felt my heart clench. I looked back at my phone. Mal hadn't tried to text or call me. Why would she I thought. She is the one who doesn't want me.

I felt a lump building up in my throat. I wasn't a big crier but the sudden urge to cry was overwhelming. I dropped my face into my hands and let myself cry. I cried for what I had lost. I cried for the future I had wanted but had been taken from me. I cried for the only girl I had ever truly loved.

* * *

The next day dawned bright and clear. I wish I felt as good as the weather was. I was going through the motions at school. Mal wasn't in class again. Evie didn't even look at me today. I was going to talk to her again after class but decided against it.

I walked over to a picnic table and pulled my lunch out of my bag. I saw Jane and Carlos heading in my direction. I hope they didn't want to talk about what's going on with Mal.

"Hey Ben" Jane said smiling at me. "Can we join you?" she asked.

"Um sure" I said. The two of them sat. "Are you guy's handing out candy at your dorms tonight?" I asked them trying to keep conversation light and away from what was going on with Mal. It was Halloween and Fairy Godmother had come up with a tradition last year. The kids would go through the dorm building trick-or-treating. They could only go to doors that were decorated. We had fun last year. That was the first time that Mal and I made out. I wish everything didn't make me think about her.

"Yes! I convinced Carlos to hand out candy with me and Lonnie is going to go to their dorm to hand out candy with Jay" she said giving Carlos a lovey smile. "Evie mentioned that she was going to hand out candy with Doug. Are you going to hand out candy with Mal?" she asked me. I shook my head not knowing what to say. Carlos just stared at me for a bit.

"So how are things?" he asked me like he was trying to get me to talk about whats going on. I just picked at my food and shrugged my shoulders. Jane's phone chimed with a message and we heard her gasp. Carlos' attention immediately went to her. "What? Is everything ok?" he asked her. She nodded her head and then looked up at me.

"There's a new article" Jane said looking back down at her phone. I sighed in frustration, pushing my food away. Here we go again I thought. I watched as Jane knit her brows in confusion. She looked up at me again.

"Ben when is the last time you talked to Mal?" she asked.

"The night of the party" I said. I didn't know what that had to do with anything.

"I remember her looking for you. She seemed desperate to find you. We didn't know about the article then but she must have. Did you actually talk to her when she found you?" she asked me. I wasn't sure what she was getting at. It was an article that basically said Mal moved on to another guy. I wasn't in a good frame of mind to talk to Mal that night and the more I hear about it the worse I feel.

"Not really. I mean I just found out that she moved on to a new guy and didn't even think to break up with me first" I said in frustration.

"There is a good reason for that" Jane said. I looked at her confused. She handed me her phone.

* * *

_**The Mystery guy is no longer a mystery!**_

_Derek, the adopted son of Doc the dwarf, is an aspiring artist, who's work has won many awards at art shows around the kingdom. He is currently a student at Auradon prep._

_Derek came forward as the mystery guy seen in the photos with Lady Mal. He gave a statement to the press yesterday wanting to set the record straight. "Lady Mal and I are just friends. We are in the same art class and had been working on an important art project together. That is what we are doing in all the photos everyone is seeing. The project is a big part of our overall grade."_

_He went on to say that all the articles had cause a bit of trouble with his actual girlfriend. He said luckily Lady Mal was kind enough to talk to his girlfriend and let her know there was nothing between the two._

_No one has been able to get a statement from Lady Mal and she has not been seen since the night of His Majesty's Halloween party. As for the King, it seems he has returned to his classes at Auradon prep but he also hasn't given a statement on the whole affair._

* * *

I suddenly knew what Evie had been talking about when she said I decide what was true. I was an idiot. I dropped my head into my hands. I should of listened and talked to Mal like Evie said. Now I had probably ruined the best thing in my life while I wallered in my own self pity. I had to talk to Mal. I pulled out my phone to text Evie. Before I opened my text messages to text her I saw her walking in our direction. I stood and walked over to her grabbing her arm and pulling her over to the edge of the court yard where there weren't any other people.

"I need to talk to Mal" I stated.

"Yes you do" she said back to me crossing her arms across her chest.

"Has she talked to you?" I asked her.

"No. She finally came out of the bathroom though" she said looking at me sadly. "She looks awful Ben. I know she hasn't eaten anything and it looks like all she has done the last three days is cry" she informed me.

"Can I borrow your key?" I asked her. If Mal wasn't talking to anyone, I doubt she would answer the door for anyone.

"Are you going to go over now?" she asked as she opened her bag looking for her keys.

"Yes. I can't believe I'm such an idiot" I said reaching up and running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"So what made you see the truth?" she asked, handing me her key.

"Derek released a statement" I told her.

"Yeah I saw that. All he said was what Mal was going to tell you the night of the Halloween Party and I'm guessing you didn't give her a chance to explain" she said to me.

"I was feeling betrayed at the time. Then things just got worse over the last few days. I was feeling so hurt and angry" I said trying to explain my side. She nodded her head.

"I get it. The press made it sound pretty bad. If I didn't already know about her working with Derek I would have been mad myself. Even Jay and Carlos were turning against Mal and coming to your defense until I told them who the guy was" she said.

"I hope I can fix things" I said.

"You guys will work it out" she said giving me a small smile. "You should probably pick up some strawberries before you go." I smiled at her. That wasn't a bad idea.

"Thanks Evie" I said before I headed off to go and try to fix things with Mal.

"Good luck" she called out to me.

* * *

**So our couple will talk next chapter... or will they?**

**Reviews are love!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Now that the holiday's are over, I'm trying to get back to being able to update regularly. I didn't get to write much over the last two weeks so I'm trying to hustle in the writing department so that I can get back to updating twice a week. I know how it is when you are waiting for a new chapter of a story you are into and I know I have left you hanging with the angsty chapters. Lets jump into it and see how or if our couple make up! Happy reading and Happy New Year!**

**Content warning**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I figured I couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. I was starting to feel bad that Evie was having to use the bathroom at someone else's dorm. She came in late Saturday night after the party. I think she tried to get me to come out of the bathroom for an hour before she gave up and told me she was going to Lonnie's dorm to shower. That was fine by me. I just wanted to be alone. Of course Evie tried again on Sunday to get me to come out and talk to her but I just didn't want to face anyone right now. I didn't want to talk about Ben and the fact that after reading the fiction that the press has put out, he has decided he doesn't want me. I could never move on to someone else like that. I thought he knew me better than that.

I decided to come out of the bathroom on Monday while Evie was at classes. My body was beginning to ache from sitting and sleeping on the bathroom floor. Derek had called me yesterday asking if I would talk to his girlfriend. I wasn't the only one this was affecting. Of course I called and talked to her. They didn't deserve to suffer all this backlash because of who I was.

When Evie came in after classes I pretended to be asleep. She knew I wasn't but she didn't try to talk to me. I could hear her moving around the room. I peeked through my eyelids to see what she was doing. It looked like she was collecting things and packing an overnight bag.

"I'm going to stay with Doug for the next couple of nights. If you need anything I'm only a phone call away" she said. I heard her move over to my beside table and set something down.

"M, I'm leaving some soup here for you. Please try to eat something" she said, before I heard her make her way to the door and leave. I didn't feel hungry and I knew if I ate anything I would just throw it up. I was an emotional wreck and it was taking a toll on me. I decided to try to eat the crackers that were on the plate the soup bowl was on. I tried to watch tv to take my mind off of things. I thought about decorating our door for Halloween tomorrow but I just really didn't want to see anyone. I didn't want to be reminded of last Halloween either.

I had cried so much over the last couple of days that I knew I had to look a mess but I didn't care. I grabbed my phone. There were a couple of text messages that I hadn't bothered reading. None of them were from the person I wanted most. How was I going to get over him? Just the thought of him brought back the urge to cry. I couldn't stop the tears as they began to flow again. I felt helpless. Crying was exhausting and I soon fell asleep again.

I was having a dream that Ben was calling my name. I felt my body trying to wake up but I wanted to cling to the dream. My body felt heavy like I had been asleep for a really long time. I rolled over onto my side trying to get comfortable so I could fall back asleep, not wanting to wake up. I wanted to dream about Ben if that was the only way I was going to have him.

"Mal" I heard him call my name again. "Mal, wake up" he said and my eyes shot open.

He was here, in my dorm. What was he doing here? I sat up quickly looking around the room. It was daylight outside but I didn't know what time it was. I looked over at the clock and saw that it was twelve forty-five. I had been asleep for a really long time. I looked at Ben. He was just staring at me.

"Hey" he finally said to me, sitting on the side of my bed.

"Hey" I said back. "How did you get in here?" I asked. I wasn't mad that he was here just curious and confused.

"Evie gave me her key. I wanted to talk to you but Evie said you weren't talking to anyone, so I figured you wouldn't answer the door to anyone either" he said simply. I just looked down at my comforter before pushing it off of me.

"Um... I have to go to the bathroom" I said standing up. I had been asleep for a long time and I really had to pee. I also wanted to put off the inevitable heart break I knew was coming. I saw the panic on Ben's face. Evie must have told him about my stint in the bathroom. "I'll come back out" I said to him

I went and used the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror as I washed my hands. I looked awful. My eyes were red and puffy and my skin was paler that usual. I decided that I needed to take a quick shower. The shower felt wonderful. It didn't do much to improve my appearance but at least I felt a little better. I wrapped a towel around myself and brushed my hair and teeth. After I finished I realized I didn't have any clean clothes in the bathroom with me. I was going to have to go out in the room in just a towel. Ben had seen me in a bikini so what would be the big deal if he saw me in a towel.

I stepped out into the room and saw his eyes grow wide when he saw me in nothing but a towel. I hoped he didn't think I was trying to seduce him or anything. The idea might be appealing in different circumstances.

"Um... I just...I just need to get some clothes" I stuttered out walking over to my drawer and grabbing the things I needed and making my way back into the bathroom. I dressed slowly trying to mentally and emotionally prepare myself for what was going to happen when I went back out. I made my way back into the room. Ben was still sitting on my bed. I walked over and grabbed my phone off of the bedside table and sat back down. It looked like I only had one new text. I would read them all later I thought and I put my phone back down.

"So..." I began trying to get him to talk. Why put it off any longer. He was staring at me again. Did I look different to him? I know we hadn't seen each other in over two weeks and I looked a mess but what did he expect.

"Mal, I'm so sorry" he said. His words shocked me. I don't know what I expected him to say but that wasn't it. I was honestly starting to think that he might be here to officially end things and get his ring back.

"What?" I said not able to form any other words and not sure what was happening here.

"I'm sorry. I should have talked to you instead of just believing what I was reading and seeing. It just hurt so bad seeing those pictures of you looking so happy with another guy and the fact that we hadn't seen each other in weeks. It was easy to believe what they were saying. It made sense" he said trying to explain his side of things.

"I was so angry when you found me Saturday night. I had convinced myself that it was true by that point. I mean you left me once without a word. I was mostly pissed at myself for neglecting you" he said with a sigh. We sat in silence for a moment.

"So what changed your mind?" I asked him. If he was convinced that I had just taken up with another guy then why was he here now?

"Your friend, Derek, released a statement" he said looking up at me. "Turns out those articles affected more than just you and me. He said that it caused some trouble with his girlfriend but you were able to smooth things over." I nodded my head.

"He called me on Sunday. I talked to Emily and let her know I had no interest in Derek. You would have known that too if you would have just let me explain on Saturday" I said to him my voice cracking a bit at the end as the urge to cry hit me again. I looked down so he wouldn't see my tears as they threatened to spill.

He reached out and lifted my chin to look at him. He cupped my face and wiped the tears that were falling with his thumbs. "Mal please forgive me?" I looked at him. He was here and he was saying what I had longed for him to say over the last few days. He did want me. I launched myself into his arms. I felt him wrap his arm around me and he held me tightly to him. I just squeezed him back as I cried into his neck. He pulled me so I was sitting in his lap. He rubbed my back and my hair trying to calm me. "Shh I'm here" he said and I heard his voice crack as if he was about to cry. I was able to calm down after a moment but I didn't move. "I love you so much baby" he said into my hair. I pulled back looking into his eyes and cupping his face.

"And I love you. Only you" I breathed and I pressed my lips to his. Kissing him again felt like life was being poured back into me. Oh how I missed him. I kissed him with all the passion I could muster. I had spent days thinking I would never feel his lips against mine again. I wanted to savor him. I let my tongue sweep across the seam of his lips begging for entrance. His mouth opened to mine and my hands gripped his hair as his tongue slid against mine.

I don't know if it was from the situation we had been in over the last couple of days or the weeks we had been apart, but I was feeling needy all of the sudden. I was hungry for him and I wanted as much as he would give me. I pulled away and turned to straddled his lap. Before pressing my lips back to his. Ben's hands were hesitant against me as he placed them on my waist. I reached up and started pushing his blazer off his shoulders. He shrugged it off breaking our kiss to place it neatly across the foot of the bed. I began working on the buttons of his shirt. He reached up grabbing my hands.

"Mal slow down" he said and I stopped, looking at his face. I was breathing hard from my frenzied, lust-filled mission. "Make up sex sounds like a good idea if the situation was different but I don't want our first time to be make-up sex" he said to me. "I want the first time I make love to you to be slow and romantic. I don't want it to be attached to a bad situation like we have been dealing with." He was right of course but it didn't make me want him any less.

"We don't have to have sex" I breathed out and kissed him, pulling back after only a moment. "But I need you" I said. I emphasized my words by grinding into him. He closed his eyes and gripped my hips.

"Shouldn't we talk first?" he asked me. Was he serious right now?

"We can talk later" I said, grinding against him again.

He kissed me again and I went back to undoing the buttons on his shirt before shoving it off his shoulders. He gripped my waist and moved to kick his shoes off. I moved my lips down his neck sucking and kissing all the spots that I missed so much. I trailed my lips down his chest sliding off of him and kneeling on the floor between his legs. My lips found his nipple and I nipped it lightly. He groaned and I smiled against him. I dropped my hands to his belt and began unbuckling it.

"Wait" he said, stopping me. I looked up at his face. "I didn't lock the door" he said.

"Don't get mad" I said after thinking about it for a second. "Turn the lock to make them knock" I said and waved a hand at the door. We heard a soft click and I gave him a shy smile. I knew Ben didn't like the use of magic, so I hoped that it wouldn't sour things.

"That spell is useful" he said smiling at me before he leaned down and pecked my lips like he was telling me it was ok that I had just used magic.

I went back to work unbuckling his belt then moving on to the button and zipper of his pants. Ben leaned back on his hands and lifted his hips when I gripped the waist of his pants and tugged them down just enough. I began to stroke him and he hardened even further in my hand. My mouth watered as I looked at his member and I leaned forward and took him in my mouth. His skin was velvety soft against my tongue. I could taste the flavor of his pre-come and it turned me on so much.

"Oh god Mal" I heard him moan out. I swirled my tongue around the tip of his hard on before dropping my mouth down his length. I moaned out and he gasped at the sensation my moan caused. I sucked as I pulled up. I did this over and over again. I wanted him to come so bad. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this. I loved hearing the sounds he made and how it almost seemed like he couldn't hold still at points. His muscles tensing up under my hands. I raised my eyes to his on an upward stroke. I loved the pleasure I could see on his face as our eyes met. It was very erotic. I felt him throb.

"I'm going to come baby" he said warning me but I wanted everything he had this time. I kept my mouth over him and felt his come shoot into my mouth. I quickly swallowed hoping not to choke as he was still coming. It was warm and didn't taste bad at all. A little salty but also a little sweet. I swallowed against him until he finished and I slowly pulled him from my mouth. Ben was breathing hard. I stood up and sat on the bed, pulling my legs up and facing him while he recovered. He reached down and pulled his pants back up over himself. He turned to me and reached up cupping my face, bringing his lips to mine, kissing me deeply.

He slowly pushed me back until I was laying down on my bed. I ran my hands up and down his bare chest as he hovered over me on his knees. I felt him begin to shift as he lifted one knee nudging my legs apart and placing it between them, followed by his other knee so he was fully over me. He moved his mouth across my face to my ear.

"That was so hot. Your turn" he whispered in my ear seductively. His words sent tingles straight to my core. I wanted him. I wrapped my legs around him trying to pull him against me. My hands pulling him desperately. He finally dropped his hip against me and I tried the best I could to rub myself against him, needing some kind of friction. Ben reached his hand down and gripped my hip stilling my movements.

"Ben please" I breathed out. I needed him. Needed him to touch me. Needed him to love me.

"Shh I've got you baby" he said as he drug his lips down my neck. He kissed across my collar bone. He lifted back up on his knees slightly and I felt the hand that was holding my hip start to slide up pulling my tank top up with it. I wasn't wearing a bra, which I'm sure he knew. He pushed my tank top up over my left breast, baring it to him. I watch as he leaned down and took my hardened nipple into his mouth. I couldn't help the moan that escaped me. He used his other hand to push my tank top up on the other side baring my other breast. He kissed across my chest to my right breast and gave it the same attention. While what he was doing felt amazing, it wasn't enough and I writhed beneath him. Ben chuckled against my skin. He began placing kisses against my stomach while his hands teased my nipples or tickled my sides. I growled in frustration, and heard Ben chuckle again.

"Tell me what you want baby" he said. Why did he have to be such a talker when I wanted him to be a doer?!

"I want you to touch me" I said in a breathy voice. "Make me come Ben" I told him boldly.

"Your wish is my command" he said and I felt him slide his fingers into the sides of my shorts and I lifted my hips so he could pull them off. Again I wasn't feeling as self conscious as I thought I would. He tossed my shorts on the floor, sitting back on his heels between my legs. It felt weird to have my tank top bunched up under my arms so I grabbed it pulling it over my head. Now I was practically naked in front of him, with nothing but a pair of lavender panties on, but I didn't care. He leaned down and kissed me as he began to rub me through my panties.

"Mmmh" I moaned against his lips. Finally I thought. He pulled his lips from mine sitting back again.

"You're so sexy" he said. "I want to see all of you" he whispered, looking at me for permission. I nodded my head and lifted my hips as he began to pull my panties down my legs. I watched as his eyes raked over my neatly groomed center. He leaned over me again grinning. His lips inches from mine. "I'm glad to see that the carpet matches the drapes" he said and I laughed out loud. He kissed me again and I felt his fingers slide through my folds.

"Ahh" I sighed out at the sensation.

"You're so wet" he said as he pulled back. He moved his hand away from me and began to move down the bed. He placed kisses down my torso. I watched as he moved so that his shoulders were under my thighs and is face was hovering above my center. I cried out, closing my eyes, when he swiped his tongue along my slit, from my entrance up, lightly grazing my clit. "You taste amazing" he said before he did it again. He ran his tongue down to my entrance and lapped at it, tasting me, before he slid is tongue up to nudge my bundle of nerves gently. I felt his fingers slide along me and he pushed one inside me as he began to suck lightly on my clit.

"Oh Ben" I breathed out as I began to writhe against his mouth. He placed his other hand on my belly to hold me still and continued to work my body. This felt amazing. I never wanted him to stop. "God that feels so good" I said, wanting him to know how good he was making me feel. I felt him slip in a second finger and he curled them just right inside me hitting a spot that felt incredible. "Ohhhh don't stop doing that" I moaned out. I could feel my orgasm building. Ben pulled his mouth from me and blew across me. The sensation was amazing. He swiped his tongue across my clit.

"Come for me baby" he said to me and began to suck my sensitive nerves again and that was all it took. I cried out, gripping the sheets in my hands when my orgasm hit me hard. My back arched off the bed and my legs began to shake and I couldn't stop them. Ben pulled his fingers from me slowly and I opened my eyes in time to see him put his fingers in his mouth sucking my moisture from them.

He started to move back up over me, letting his hands drag up my body. I was still quivering from my orgasm. He let his lips drag up the side of my neck and lowered his body just enough so that his chest grazed across my breasts. I lightly moaned again. He pulled back to look at my face. His lips were only inches from mine. He smiled at me.

"How are you feeling?" he asked me. I smiled brightly at him.

"I feel amazing" I said and lifted my head to kiss him.

"Good" he said smugly when I pulled away.

"How do you feel?" I asked him.

"Like I never want to be away from you again" he pecked my lips. "Like I never want to leave this bed" another peck. "Like I want to live my life making you feel like that" he leaned down to kiss me again but this time I cupped the back of his head so he wouldn't pull away. I savored his mouth that I didn't know could bring me such pleasure. We broke apart when we needed to breath. He moved and laid down next to me. I snuggled into him after he pulled the comforter over us. It didn't feel strange to lay here naked with him, even though he still had his pants on.

"I love you. You know that right?" I said to him. "I would never do anything that I know would intentionally hurt you, like start dating someone else without breaking up with you first."

"I love you too. I think the reason I bought the story is because of how you left without a word and went back to the Isle. I guess it jaded me a little bit" he said to me, stroking my hair.

"Things are different now. Now I can't imagine my life without you" I said. "Thinking I had lost you for good for the last few days has been a nightmare."

"I'm so sorry" he said again. "I can't imagine my life without you either" he said kissing the top of my head. We just laid there in silence. The beat of his heart was lulling me back to sleep. I pressed a kiss to his chest before I let sleep take me again.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I was startled awake by someone knocking on the door. I felt Mal sit bolt upright. They knocked again. I hopped out of bed throwing my shirt on and doing up the buttons. Mal pulled the comforter around her and made a bee line for the bathroom.

"Mal, it's Evie, can you open the door" I heard Evie call through the door. I walked up to the door after I finished buttoning my shirt and opened it, letting Evie in.

"Hey" she said to me as she walked in. I watched her look at the bed which no longer had the comforter on it. Then she noticed Mal's clothes on the floor. I sighed.

"It's not what it looks like" I said. Evie turned and narrowed her eyes at me.

"You guys _did not _have sex for the first time to make up did you?" she asked jabbing me in the chest with a finger.

"No. Ow!" I said rubbing the spot she poked. "No we didn't actually have sex" I told her, moving to pick up Mal's clothes. I was certain she was listening at the door but she was trapped in the bathroom naked. I walked over to the bathroom door and tapped on it before I tried the knob. It was unlocked so I opened the door far enough to stick my hand in and give her her clothes.

"Thanks" I heard her say from the other side of the door.

"Like I told Mal, I don't want our first time to be tainted with bad memories" I said to Evie.

"So she wanted to?" Evie asked with a shocked expression on her face.

"I can hear you, you know!" we heard Mal call from the bathroom. I laughed. A couple of seconds later Mal came out of the bathroom fully clothed with her comforter in her arms. Evie crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at Mal. Mal just looked at Evie and raised her eyebrows.

"Um, should I go?" I asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

"No" they both said at the same time. Evie dropped her arms and sighed.

"Have you eaten?" Evie asked her.

"You could say that" Mal said, her eyes darting to me for a second. I couldn't help but smirk. Evie's eyes also turned to me and I felt a moment of embarrassment when I saw her catch on to what Mal meant.

"Ok, I don't think I need to know" she said. "I just wanted to check in before I go to Doug's."

"We still need to talk but we worked things out for the most part" I said.

"Good. I'll see you guys later" she said and went to leave.

"Hey Evie" I said, stopping her. I reached over and grabbed my blazer and pulled her key out of my pocket. "Thanks" I said smiling at her and handing her her key.

"You're welcome" she said taking the key before leaving.

"Uh...that was a little awkward" I said. Mal laughed and began making her bed.

"At least she didn't have her key" she said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, how often do you use magic?" I asked her. I wasn't fond of the use of magic, especially when it came to the two of us. I wanted things to be real between us.

"The last time I actually used magic, intentionally, was when I went back to the Isle before cotillion" she said to me. She looked almost scared, like I was going to get mad at her. She sat down on her freshly made bed.

"Ok" I said and I walked over and sat down with her and took her hand in mine to reassure her.

"I know you don't like magic, I'm sorry" she said.

"It's not that I don't like magic. I just don't want our relationship to be artificial because of it" I said looking at her. "A little magic can come in useful here and there" I said, winking at her. She giggled.

"Like locking doors when I want to do naughty things with my boyfriend" she teased.

"Definitely" I said and leaned in to kiss her. "I brought you something" I said pulling away and grabbing the box I set on the bedside table before I woke her up. "Evie said you hadn't eaten anything so I got these for you" I said handing her the box of strawberries I picked up before heading over here.

"Well I did kinda have something" she flirted wagging her eyebrows at me as she took the box.

"That doesn't count" I said with a chuckle. "I can't believe you did that, by the way. Not that I'm complaining or anything." She just giggled again, opening the box and picking a strawberry.

"I found that I really like going down on you, and I don't know what made me swallow but I kinda liked that too. Besides, there is no mess to clean up that way" she said with a grin and shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite of her strawberry. We just looked at each other for a moment.

"I'm sorry I was such an idiot. I'm sorry I made you feel the way you did" I said reaching up and stroking her face.

"Ben of course I forgive you" she said to me. "Just promise me that if something happens, you will talk to me first instead of jumping to conclusions. Especially if I am trying to talk to you."

"I promise" I said and I pressed my lips briefly to hers again.

* * *

**So they really made up ;) I am hoping to have the next chapter up on Friday, so stay tuned.**

**Reviews are love!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm getting caught up! I tend to like to stay two chapters ahead of my update so as of right now I am finishing up chapter 12. I battled a bit of writers block but was hit with some inspiration so I think I am over that slump and can stay ahead and still be able to update at least twice a week. I had to start keeping a timeline for this story because I was losing my days. 😬 Anyhow here is the next chapter. Happy reading!**

* * *

_ Mal's POV_

Ben and I decided that we would not give any formal statements to the press. It was an assumption on their part after all. We knew that we were going to get hounded by them and we could each just choose to answer their questions however we wanted as long as it wouldn't cause anymore trouble. I just avoided them like the plague and didn't say anything. I hadn't read that Ben had said anything to them either.

I returned to my classes on Wednesday. We put down my absence to a stomach bug. I just didn't want everyone to know anymore than they already did. It was hard enough answering the questions that my friends bombarded me with. I just let them know that things were fine between Ben and I and that we were still together.

I walked into my dorm that afternoon to find Evie was already there. She stayed with Doug last night and I only saw her once today in Magical History but it wasn't like we could talk or anything.

"Hey" I said. I could tell she was a little mad. "I'm sorry I shut you out" I said to her. "I just felt like my world was crumbling" I explained as I walked over to my bed dropping my bag on it. I watched her shoulders drop as she sighed.

"I get it" she said softly to me. "I would have probably felt the same way" she said as she stood and walked over to me. She reached out and grabbed my hands. "You're good now?" she asked. I smiled and nodded my head.

"It was a complete misunderstanding" I said. I still couldn't get over the fact that Ben thought I could do that to him. How do you show somebody how much they mean to you when you thought they knew? "I just wish he would have talked to me sooner."

"Yeah, you and me both" she said letting my hands go and walking over to sit at her sewing machine. "So do you want to explain why your clothes were all over the floor when I got here yesterday" she said smirking at me.

"Because Ben took them off of me" I said smirking back at her knowing that that wasn't the answer she was looking for. She just raised her eyebrows at me and I couldn't help but laugh. "We didn't actually have sex but we did get more familiar with each other intimately" I said to her.

"So it sounds like you might be ready" she said almost like a question. I thought about how I felt yesterday. I was glad Ben didn't want to have sex right then, because thinking about it now, I know I probably would have regretted it. Not that it was with him, just the timing of it. He was right, if we had done it, all it would have reminded me of is what we were dealing with at the time.

"I think so. I mean I wanted him so bad yesterday, and it definitely could have gone in that direction, but I'm glad we didn't do it" I said. She nodded her head. "Ben was right. It would have just remind of us of a horrible misunderstanding. After what we did yesterday, I'm in no rush though" I said with a smile.

We went on to talk about how the party went since I didn't get to enjoy it. I was kinda bummed that Ben never got to see my costume. In fact I hadn't even thought to tell him what it was. She filled me in on how things were going with her and Doug. She let me know in very few words that sex does indeed get better.

* * *

It was now late Friday afternoon and I was in my dorm working on my make up work I had from missing classes on Monday and Tuesday. Just then Evie walked into the dorm with Ben right behind her.

"Good, you're here" Evie said smiling at me.

"Where else would I be?" I asked. She just shrugged.

"Well Ben and I were just talking about how the five of us need to have that meeting so we can get started on picking new kids to bring over" she said. I looked over to Ben as he closed the door and walked over to me.

"What are you working on?" he asked leaning over my shoulder.

"Just catching up on my missed work from earlier in the week" I said looking up at him. He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss. "Have you guys talked to Jay and Carlos?" I asked both of them.

"Yeah they said to just let them know" Evie said, putting her bag down on her chair at her sewing table.

"Well when are you available for a meeting?" I asked Ben.

"We could do it tomorrow morning I guess. I'm having a meeting with Jane and Fairy Godmother after lunch" he said looking at his phone.

"That works for me. I will text the boys and see if that's good for them. What time exactly?" Evie asked Ben.

"Ten?" he suggested.

"That works for me too" I said with a smile. "Why are you meeting with Jane and Fairy Godmother?" I asked.

"We have to start planning for the Christmas Ball and Jane did such a wonderful job with the cotillion, that I wanted to see if she would be on board to help with the Christmas Ball" he informed me. "Fairy Godmother always helps over see it."

"Christmas Ball?" I asked. This was the first time I was hearing about this.

"Yes" he said giving me a small smile. "With being so busy and then all that drama we were dealing with I forgot to mention it."

"I have already gotten a big dress order for it" Evie said looking very excited.

"Really?" I asked. Evie always seemed to be in the know.

"Queen Cinderella wants me to do her dress" Evie said with a beaming smile and I smiled back at her. I was glad her work was getting recognized. She looked over at the clock. "Doug should be here soon. He said he would come over so we could budget for the upcoming dress orders I am sure to get."

"Well then, Mal would you like to go out to dinner with me tonight?" Ben asked me with a smile.

"Like a date?" I asked smiling back at him.

"Yes, like a date" he said chuckling at me.

"That sounds wonderful" I said and stood up to put my things away.

* * *

Ben gripped my hand as he pulled me through a group of reporters outside the dorm building and led me into the limo.

"Maybe we should just go to the castle to have dinner." Ben said looking out the window at the reporters.

"That might be a good idea. I'm sure they would follow us to the restaurant. At least they can't come past the gates at the castle" I said and he looked back at me. He took my hand in his and brought it up to his lips, kissing the back of it.

"I'm sorry you are having to deal with this" he said.

"It's not your fault babe. No one made them write that story in the first place" I said, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I know, but if I had managed my time a little better maybe it wouldn't have been so obvious that we weren't spending time together and they wouldn't have gone looking for something to be wrong" he said. He was still feeling guilty that we don't get a lot of time together, especially this last month.

"Ben, you are king. I get that you can sometimes have a huge work load. I guess the press hasn't picked up on the fact that you are running a kingdom and going to school and that takes up a lot of time" I said to him. "I know I have told you this before, but I understand. I don't feel like you just aren't making time for me or anything like that. I knew your time would be limited when I decided I wanted to be with you" I told him. He reached up cupping my face and bringing my lips to his for a loving kiss.

"Thank you" he said after he pulled away.

"What for?" I asked.

"For being you. For loving me even when I don't deserve it" he said.

"I will love you forever" I said to him pushing my lips back to his. I wanted to make sure he would never have doubts about how I feel about him again. I know both of our hearts were bruised with this mess. With how I left a couple months ago, I don't blame him for his reaction to it all. Now my goal was to show him any chance I get that I'm in this for the long haul because I can't picture my life without him anymore.

We arrived at the castle and were greeted by Cogsworth, who informed us that Adam was working in his office and Belle was probably in the library.

"Thanks Cogs" Ben said to him, before turning to me. "I'm going to go talk to my dad if that's ok with you. Let him know about our meeting tomorrow" he said to me.

"Ok. I'll just go find your mom" I said to him. He smiled and leaned down to give me a quick kiss.

"I'll come find you soon" he said before heading in the direction of his dad's office.

I walked upstairs to the library. Everyone knew that Belle spent most of her free time in the library. I knocked gently on the door before heading in. I saw Belle sitting in one of the wing back chairs by the fireplace. Her feet were tucked under her and she was lost in a book.

"Hey" I said softly, trying not to startle her. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Good evening! Have you come for dinner?" she asked me.

"Ben asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with him, but with the press, we decided not to go to a restaurant" I told her.

"How are you holding up with this current media frenzy?" she inquired while I walked over and sat in the other wing back chair.

"I am avoiding them the best that I can" I said shrugging my shoulders. "It kinda makes me mad that they reported something that wasn't true. It caused a little trouble with Ben and I and for Derek."

"Ben hasn't really talked to us about it. We let up with questioning him and then it was all of the sudden ok again a couple days ago" she said.

"Ben didn't tell you what happened?" I asked very surprised. Ben was very close with his parents and always confided in them.

"No. What did happen?" she asked. I was pretty certain Ben wouldn't mind me telling his mother what happened now that everything was cleared up between us.

"You know how I was looking for Ben the night of the Halloween party?" I asked and Belle nodded. "Well by that time Ben had already seen the articles. When I found him he shut me out and wouldn't even talk to me, so I couldn't explain what was actually going on" I said.

"Yeah. He seemed to be shutting everyone out" she commented.

"He told me to leave and I just assumed that he didn't want to be with me. He finally came and talked to me when Derek released that statement. I still can't believe he would think I would do that to him, but I kinda understand with what I did before cotillion, but things have changed since then. I thought he knew that" I told her. "How do I prove to him that I love him?" I asked.

"He knows you love him dear. He was just blinded by the hurt of thinking he lost you. You both have to remember that you are each others true love" she said to me. I smiled at her. Belle always knows what to say.

"What are you ladies talking about?" we heard from the door. Ben walked in and leaned down to kiss his mother's cheek.

"Mal was just giving me the scoop" Belle said teasing him.

"I can't believe you didn't even talk to your parents about what was going on" I said to him. He stepped over to me, grabbing my hands and pulling me to stand. He then took my seat and pulled me down in his lap.

"I was trying to avoid the whole thing. I just didn't want to feel what I was feeling at that time" he said. I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"You didn't have to feel that way at all" I said.

"I know that now, but I was so angry to start with and I let that control me" he said softly, looking up at me.

"Well, I'm glad the two of you were able to fix things" Belle said to both of us.

"Me too" I said, looking over at her.

We stayed in the library chatting with Belle until Lumiere announced that dinner was ready. Ben arranged to get a copy of a movie that was released that day, since there was no way we could go to the movies. Perks of being the king I guess. So after dinner we all went to the theater room to watch it. It was nice just hanging out with the family.

* * *

I found myself back at the castle the next morning. This time I was with my best friends. I smiled. I was so happy in Auradon and now we were going to give new VKs a chance to be just as happy.

Ben wanted this to be a formal meeting, so we all met in the conference room that was down the hall from his office. There was a long table that seated about twenty. Why did he want us to meet in here? There were only five of us. At one end of the table there were four i-pads placed at four seats and Ben's laptop sat at the end of the table.

"You guys are officially going to be my royal advisers for this endeavor" Ben said as we all took a seat. "I went in blind the first time and got lucky" he said looking at everyone at the table. His eyes landed on me and he grinned a little bit. "Very lucky" he said winking at me and I giggled a little bit.

"I don't want kids coming over with an agenda to do evil things and cause trouble" he said. I felt a twinge of guilt thinking about our original plan when we came to Auradon. "The i-pads in front of you will have access to to cameras that will be place along the outside of the barrier of Isle. This is for surveillance and the people on the Isle will be told that cameras are being placed and why. They will not be told where they will be placed. The surveillance will help us narrow down which four we will bring." I hadn't realized how much Ben had put into organizing this whole thing.

"I ask that we look at the younger generation. We are all in our final year and I would like the kids to get the most that they can from their experience at Auradon Prep. So no one our age" he said. "By the time we bring them over we will be graduated, so I want kids that can start next school year. There is a list of kids that I think are age appropriate."

We spent the morning going over the provided list. Everyone we were considering were on the list. There were a few that we knew weren't ready yet and were able to remove from the list. Ben said he hoped to make this a long term thing, like having exchange students every year or two, depending on how each new group acclimated to life in Auradon. He also said if any VK wished to return to the Isle they would be allowed, but it would forfeit their application. That was another thing he came up with this time around. Every VK still of school age could submit an application. Even though Ben wanted to bring in younger kids he wasn't completely counting out older students. He really just didn't want to bring over kids that wouldn't be able to attend Auradon Prep.

All in all it was a very productive meeting. Ben said Fairy Godmother will be in charge of magically placing the cameras. He also told us he would let us know when the cameras were up and running and we could begin our surveillance and start narrowing down our list. We could take notes on the i-pads which would automatically be sent to all five of us. Everything was very organized. We all agreed to meet again before Christmas.

"Mal would you mind staying for my meeting with Jane and Fairy Godmother?" Ben asked me as we were walking back out to the hall.

"Sure" I said, wondering why he wanted me to stay. We said goodbye to our friends and had a nice lunch with his parents. Belle asked me if I thought Evie would be willing to do her dress for the Christmas Ball. I told her I'm sure she would and to just send her a text.

Ben's parents were both going to be at the meeting after lunch also. Adam joked that he was not really needed but would be there as show of male solidarity for Ben. Instead of heading back to the conference room, we went to the sitting room to meet with Jane and Fairy Godmother. Ben said it would be more comfortable that way.

"Good afternoon everyone" we heard Fairy Godmother say, as she walked into the sitting room with Jane right behind her.

"Good afternoon" we said back. We all sat with me, Belle Jane, and Fairy Godmother on the couch and Ben and Adam took the two chairs that flanked it.

"So, I am assuming we are starting with the planning for the Christmas Ball?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"Yes. With this being the first Christmas Ball since I became king, I wanted to get all the help I could and Jane was so helpful with cotillion, I wanted to ask if she would mind helping with the ball" Ben said looking at Jane.

"Of course I will help" Jane said with a smile. "Christmas is my favorite time of year!"

"So why wasn't there a Christmas Ball last year?" I asked. Evie, Jay, Carlos and I had all spent last Christmas here and there wasn't a Christmas Ball.

"We only hold the Ball every other year. It is a very large event and many royals travel far distances to come. They usually stay here. It is quite a lot to take on every year. This way every other year can just be about family without all the hoopla that goes into the Christmas Ball" Belle explained.

"Is it only for royals?" I asked.

"Royals and the leaders of the regions along with their older children and the sidekicks" Adam said. "Most of your friends will be in attendance" he said smiling at me.

"What about Evie, Jay and Carlos?" I asked. None of them fit the criteria for an invite. I wasn't even sure I did, but as the girlfriend of the king I figured that didn't matter in my case. I was his Lady of the Court. I heard Ben chuckle.

"I would assume they will be invited by their dates" he said. "They are all dating someone who will receive an invitation. If not they will attend as my guests" he said and I smiled. Almost all of his friends were royals so he has never run into a time where his friends might not be invited to something just because of their social standing. "Speaking of which, Mal will you attend the Christmas Ball with me?" he asked. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Of course" I answered. He smiled back at me. "I'm assuming it will be similar to Anxelin's ball?" I asked.

"Sort of. The ball will not begin until we have arrived. All royals will be announced as they arrive. No one will be given entrance after a certain time and then we will be announced" Ben said. This was stricter than Anxelin's ball. There were a couple people who showed up a little late, but I guess that would not be the case at the Christmas Ball. "This ball will also be much larger."

I sighed. I hope all this recent drama will be old news by the time the ball came around so that it won't be the topic of conversation in such a large crowd. I mean it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet, so there was more than a month for everyone to forget about it.

"When will the ball take place?" I asked.

"That is something we all need to decide on today , so I can send out the official royal invitation. Christmas falls on a Monday this year" Ben said looking at his i-pad. "Making the closest Saturday the twenty-third. I don't like how close that is, especially with snow usually on the ground at that time. It would make travel back home in time for Christmas hard for some. I say we do it the Saturday before that. The uhh...sixteenth" he said looking up at all of us. I had no opinion on this. I just hoped Evie could make me an awesome dress since I was going to be announced in front of every leader in the kingdom.

"That sounds like a smart idea" Adam said. "That way if the weather doesn't cooperate there is time."

"Should we stick with the same time? Doors closing at seven forty-five?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"Yes. Doors will close at seven forty-five and we will be announced at eight o'clock sharp" Ben said. "I will start on the invitation and have it sent out via email tomorrow. I will leave the actual planning up to you ladies. I will let you all know if someone is unable to attend. If you need anything just let me know." He stood and held his hand out to me. "Mal may I speak to you for a moment?" he asked. and I nodded and took his hand.

"I will talk to you guys later I guess" I said to everyone as Ben led me out of the room towards his office.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

"Well that was a short meeting" Mal said as she sat in one of the leather seats in front of my desk.

"Yes. I knew it would be. I really just wanted to ask for Jane's help in person and to nail down a date for the ball" I said. I opened my computer and typed in the password. I figured Mal could help me draft up the invitation. "The rest of it you ladies can handle" I said smiling. I looked at her for a brief moment before my email loaded and I looked back down. I sighed when I noticed another email from Queen Leah.

"What?" Mal asked noticing my apprehension

"Well it's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. When we were in the middle of all that drama last weekend, Queen Leah emailed me" I told her. "Saying exactly what you would think she would say." I watched Mal's face change but I couldn't read what she was feeling like I usually could.

"Can I read it?" she asked. I looked back down at my computer and clicked on the email I received last weekend. I turned my computer to face her. She stood and came closer to my desk to read the email. I watched her face closely. She raised one eyebrow as she read then looked up at me. "You are right. It says what you would think it would say" she said with a humorless laugh. "Is it weird that what offends me the most is that she refers to me as 'that villain'?" she asked. I chuckled at that. I was glad that she wasn't taking it too seriously.

"So did you reply?" she asked.

"No, but I have a new email from her and I'm willing to bet it has nothing to do with business" I said as Mal turned my computer back to me and sat back down. I click on the new email and began reading.

* * *

To: King Benjamin of Auradon

From: Queen Leah of South Riding

Your Majesty,

Audrey has informed me that she will be attending the Christmas Ball with you. I have just seen recent photos of you and that villain again. I must insist that you cut ties with that villain as I don't want my granddaughter's good name muddied by any involvement in some scandalous love triangle. Word spreads fast in this kingdom and I would like the Beauty name to remain squeaky clean thank you.

With respect,

Queen Leah

* * *

I laughed out loud. I could not believe what I was just reading. The nerve of Audrey to assume I would be going to the ball with her just because of what she thought was going on. The nerve of Queen Leah to tell me who I could or could not associate with. I knew she must have seen the statement that Derek had put out especially if she was keeping tabs on things. The only time Mal and I had been photographed together recently was last night, so the photos that she was referring to were very recent.

"What did she have to say this time?" Mal asked sighing. I read the email out loud to her. She had an incredulous look on her face when I looked back up at her. "You asked her to go to the ball with you?" she asked, her voice a shaky.

"Of course not!" I said. I did not want Mal to think that at all. "I haven't even spoken to her. Of course she started calling and texting after those articles came out, but I never texted her back. One of the voicemails she left said that she would be back to attend the Christmas Ball and she said we should got together, but I swear I haven't even talked to her. In no way did I ask her to the ball" I insisted. I saw Mal relax.

"Well, what do you plan to do about it?" she asked, looking at me intently. I thought about it for a few minutes. "Ben?" Mal said when I had yet to say anything.

"I want to set her straight, but I don't like how they keep trying to twist things around. So my thought is this; there is a council meeting scheduled for this Friday. I would like you, Evie, Jay and Carlos to attend. We can go over what our plans are with the new VKs with the council. I will also address this matter with Queen Leah at the meeting. With so many witnesses she can't turn things around on us. In the meantime we will carry on like normal and say nothing about it. I will avoid Audrey if she tries to call like I have been, that way she can't even say she has talked to me, because I could prove her wrong" I said smiling at her. She smiled back, standing and walking over to my side of the desk and leaning on it.

"That sounds like an excellent plan. You would think they would get tired of playing games with you, considering they never win" she said with a smirk. I reached up and pulled her to sit in my lap.

"The only games I like to play are with you" I flirted, reaching up to her face to pull her lips to mine, realizing that I had been with her all day but hadn't kissed her yet. I pulled away after a moment. "Will you help me with the invitations?" I asked her.

"Sure. I don't know how much help I will be but I will try" she said smiling at me. We got to work going over all the guests that would be invited, then composing an email. I will have the official invitations printed and mailed within a week or two.

* * *

**Wonder how Ben will handle Queen Leah... I hope to have the next chapter up by Tuesday if not earlier.**

**Reviews are love!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I thought I would let you guys know that I have not read any of the Descendants books nor have I watched Wicked World, so some of the things I write about comes from what I know from the movies and the Descendants wiki (mostly characters that aren't in the movies) and my own imagination. Anyhow, happy reading!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

The week passed by pretty quickly. The press was still hounding me but I continued to just ignore them. I didn't get to spend too much time with Ben. His afternoons were filled with calls and paperwork. I did get to see him at school but it's not like quality time.

It was Friday afternoon and Evie, Jay, Carlos and I were heading to the castle for the council meeting. I was feeling a little anxious and I could tell the others were too.

"Do you think Ben is going to make this, like a regular thing?" Carlos asked nervously. I thought about it for a minute.

"I'm not sure. I think he just wants us to attend because the main point of this meeting is to make the council aware of what's going on with bringing new kids over" I said. "I don't think we would have to be a part of other council meetings where they are going over stuff for the regions and all that boring tax stuff Ben tries to tell me about" I said with a laugh.

"Well if you and Ben ever get married you will have to be a part of all the meetings" Evie said with a smirk. I sighed, as something Jane said before Ben's coronation ran through my head; _He's never gonna make a villain a queen. _It was little things like that that made me feel like I wasn't good enough and they would creep up on me when someone would say something that would remind me of how things were.

"Ben and I are no where near ready for marriage" I said with a laugh trying to hide my insecurities that I knew where silly. I knew without a doubt that I would marry Ben if he ever asked.

I thought about telling them about the situation with Queen Leah and Audrey but then thought better of it. If Queen Leah knew that they already knew about her personal emails to Ben, I'm sure she would blow a gasket. Unless Ben says otherwise, I plan on acting as if I don't even know about them.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the castle. Lumiere showed us to the same conference room we used last Saturday, only this time there were several people there already. We were shown to our seats. I was seated in the same seat I had sat in on Saturday, to the right of Ben's seat. Evie, Jay, and Carlos all sat to the right of me. Adam and Bell were seated across from us to Ben's left. Queen Leah, Queen Aurora, and King Phillip sat to the left of Belle. Queen Leah looked very put out. It made me think that maybe we were in their usual spots.

There were several other council members in attendance, including Queen Cinderella and Prince Charming, Mulan and Li Shang, Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene, and Sultan Aladdin and Sultana Jasmine. Ben however was nowhere to be seen and everyone was talking amongst themselves. We all looked up when the door opened and Ben walked in with his laptop in hand.

"Sorry I'm late. I was just on a call with Fairy Godmother" he said as he came and took his seat. "Now let us all state our attendance to be recorded in the minutes." I wasn't sure what he was talking about. "King Benjamin of Auradon" he said out loud.

"King Elder Adam of Auradon" Adam said next.

"Queen Belle of Auradon" Belle said.

"Queen Elder Leah of South Riding Auroria" Queen Leah said.

"Queen Aurora of South Riding Auroria."

I caught on and the others did as well. When it got to Carlos he looked a little stunned but just went with it.

"Carlos DeVil" Carlos said giving Ben a confused look about where he should say he is from.

"Of the Isle" Ben said.

"Jay of the Isle" Jay said.

"Evie of the Isle" Evie said.

"Mal of the Isle" I said in a clear voice.

Ben smiled like he was so happy that we were there. I thought I was last but we suddenly heard a voice come from a bluetooth speaker that I hadn't noticed was sitting in the center of the conference table. A few others stated their attendance this way including King Triton, King Eric and Queen Ariel, King Naveen and Queen Tiana, and Zeus and Hera.

"It will be noted all that could not attend. Now the meeting can officially begin" Ben said. "Lets start with any concerns anyone is having within their region."

I kind of began to zone out when King Triton was discussing some kind of new tax proposal. Poor Ben, these meetings were kind of boring. Probably because I didn't know what they were talking about. Ben seem very attentive though. Taking notes and giving his opinion on the matter. He brought my attention back to what was going on when I felt him grab my hand under the table.

"As I mentioned in my email, the original Vks are going to be my royal advisers as we move forward to bring over a new group of kids from the Isle" Ben said.

"Your Majesty" Queen Leah began. "May I ask why you are planning on bringing over more villain children?" she asked in her usual tone. Ben's face remained calm but I could see and almost feel his body tense up.

"Can you give me a reason why we shouldn't Queen Leah?" Ben countered.

"They are villains!" she stated as if that was obvious.

"Actually that is where you are wrong. Their parents may be villains but the children have committed no crimes against us" Ben told her. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she tried to come up with an argument.

"Well shouldn't we at least wait until that villain that is on the loose is captured?" she asked. I hated the way she said "that villain" as if we were all insects or something, but Queen Leah had a point there. I hadn't really given Uma a thought in quite some time. It has been about two months that she has been on the loose. I hope Ben had people looking for her.

"I have a group of guards charged with looking for Uma. There hasn't even been a sighting in the last two months" Ben said, answering my thoughts.

"Now as I was saying, the five of us had a meeting last Saturday to begin the process and go over potential candidates. Like I told them, I got lucky the first time. This time I am going into it more informed and with a better process in place. We will be screening our candidate as well as placing surveillance on the Isle to help with choosing the right kids" he informed everyone. "There will also be an application that any VK who is interested in attending Auradon Prep will have to fill out."

"So they will have to apply to come?" Aladdin asked.

"Yes" Ben answered. "I want to choose kids that want to come."

"Well it sounds like you are going about this better this time around" King Phillip said with a smile.

"I have lots of help this time as well" Ben said smiling at us. "Does anyone have any questions about this?" Ben asked.

"So who will have the ultimate say about who comes?" Queen Leah asked.

"The five of us will choose together. Any one of us can veto a candidate." Ben said.

"So you will not make the sole decision and the council will not have a say?" Queen Leah asked. I knew she felt like she should have a say in all of this.

"I made the decision on my own the first time and it very nearly didn't work out" Ben said. I could feel heat rising in my face as guilt washed over me. "This time I am backed by people who actually know these kids. Now if you know any of the children from the Isle personally and are able to better steer me in the right direction then I would love for you to advise me on this" Ben said with a no nonsense tone.

"No Your Majesty" Queen Leah said quietly. It seems Ben is getting good at putting her in her place.

"Anymore questions?" Ben asked the room.

"How many kids are you planning on choosing?" we heard King Eric ask through the speaker.

"Four, just like last time. If it all works out I would like to start a program to bring kids over every year or two, but I want to see how a new group does before I make any final decisions on that" he said. All of this was gone over in our meeting, so Ben wasn't saying anything we didn't already know.

It seemed that everyone was on board with bringing over new kids. The only one who questioned it at all was Queen Leah.

"Now the last thing on the agenda is the Christmas Ball" Ben said looking at his computer. "You should have all received the electronic invite. Formal invitations will be sent off next week. Is there anyone who is unable to attend?" Ben asked looking up at everyone.

"I am invited to every ball, but alas, I must decline your invitation once again" King Triton said jokingly through the speaker. Everyone laughed.

"I understand" Ben said with a chuckle.

I looked at Queen Leah to see if she was going to say anything. She looked like she wanted to but kept her lips pressed firmly together. I was sure she didn't want to be called out on telling the king what he can and can't do. I turned my head to look at Ben and noticed he too was looking at Queen Leah.

"Queen Leah, I believe you have been misinformed" Ben said to her. She looked shocked that he was going to be calling her out in front of everyone. "Why do you think I will be attending the ball with Audrey?" he asked looking at her intently.

"That is what she told me" Queen Leah answered as if it was obvious.

"Well considering I haven't even spoken to her since Anxelin's birthday ball, I have no idea why she would say that" Ben said. I watched as Queen Leah pressed her lips together again. "So if any one is going to...how did you put it... muddy her good name was it...well it is going to be her. I will let you know now I have not involved Audrey at all in my private life, so there is no love triangle."

"I'm sorry Your Majesty. I think with the articles that were published, she just assumed you would turn to her for support" Queen Leah replied.

"Those articles were false. They were proven false before you even sent that email. I will let you know now that if things ever did go south with Lady Mal and I, which I don't plan on ever happening, I most definitely wouldn't jump into a relationship with someone else anytime soon after" he said matter-of-factly. Queen Leah's face was blank.

"Another thing, it is my decision who I associate with and no one else's. Is that clear?" Ben said firmly.

"Yes Your Majesty" she said her face now slightly flushed in embarrassment from being called out in front of her peers.

"If you would be so kind as to inform Audrey that I will be attending the Christmas Ball with Lady Mal. I don't think it would be a good idea for me to reach out to her, considering the fact that she assumed we were going together even though I haven't even spoken to her" Ben said.

"Of Course Your Majesty" she muttered.

"Is there any thing else anyone would like to address?" Ben asked. No one had anything else to add. "Ok well the council will not meet again until after the new year. If you have any concerns before then, you know how to contact me. I hope to see all of you again at the Christmas Ball. Thank you all for attending."

Ben began typing something on his computer as everyone began to move and chat. I wasn't sure what to do. Do we just leave? I was about to rise when Ben grabbed my hand under the table again and I looked at him. "Stay" he said quietly. I nodded and leaned over to tell Evie that I was staying.

"I'm staying also" she said. "I'm going to be taking Belle's measurements for her gown for the ball" Evie told me.

"Evie, are you ready?" I heard Belle call out to her.

"Of course" Evie said smiling at Belle as she stood and followed her out of the room.

I looked around. Queen Leah, Queen Aurora and King Phillip had already left. Adam was chatting with Sultan Aladdin and Sultana Jasmine, while Jay was talking to Lonnie's parents. I was confused when I saw Queen Cinderella talking with Carlos. What was that all about? I just sat there quietly as Ben was doing whatever he was doing on his computer. Soon all the royals that were still lingering had left.

"We're going to head out" Carlos leaned down and said to me, with Jay standing behind him.

"Hey before you leave, what was Queen Cinderella talking to you about?" I asked him. I was so curious.

"Oh. She was inviting me to Thanksgiving. Fairy Godmother and Jane usually have Thanksgiving with them and now that Jane and I are a couple she wanted to extend the invitation to me as well" he said smiling brightly. I smiled back at him.

"Yeah, I'm going to have Thanksgiving with Lonnie's family this year too" Jay said. It seemed my little family was branching out.

"That's great. I'm so happy you guys will get to celebrate with your girlfriends this year" I said to them.

"Thanks Mal. We'll see you later" Carlos said and he and Jay left together.

It was just Ben and I left in the conference room. I looked back at him as he closed his computer.

"I always wait until everyone has left before I leave, in case anyone wants to talk to me" he said in way of explanation as to why we were still here. "Come on" he said standing. I followed him out of the conference room and to his office.

He opened the door to his office, stepping in and placing his computer on the cabinet just inside the door as I closed the door behind me. He turned pushing me back against the door, his lips claiming mine in a passionate kiss. I heard the lock on the door click and then his hands were gripping my hips, as my hands gripped his upper arms. I felt his hand slide around to my backside, pulling me more firmly into him as his tongue slid against mine. I let my hands slide to his face trying to slow the kiss down. I pulled back slightly, dropping my hands to his chest.

"Ben the cameras" I murmured his lips still just a breath from mine. I knew there were cameras in here.

"I turned them off while we were in the conference room" he said dragging his lips down my neck. I relaxed and let my head drop back against the door savoring the way his lips felt soft and warm on my skin. I reached up pushing my finger into his hair, his crown slipping slightly. He reached up pulling it off and placing it on top of his computer behind him. I guided his lips back to mine. The last time we got to be together alone like this was on Halloween and we were making up. I felt him bring his hands to my front, palming my breasts and I moaned against his lips.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and we both jumped. I quickly stepped past Ben, moving further into his office and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk, trying to control my breathing. I watched as Ben took a deep breath. He grabbed his crown, placing it back on his head and tugged on the cuffs of his jacket before opening the door to see his father standing there.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything" Adam said glancing at me. I'm sure he could guess what we were doing.

"Nope" Ben said. He stepped back allowing his father to step into the office.

"Well Aladdin has asked if we would like to join them for dinner tonight. Az is in town with them and will be there also" Adam said.

"That sounds nice" Ben said, smiling at his father.

"Well I will head out so you can get ready for your dinner" I said standing.

"Won't you join us?" Adam asked me.

"I don't want to impose. Besides I wouldn't want Az to feel like a third wheel" I said.

"Don't worry about that. Belle has already invited Evie to join us as well" Adam said with a smile.

"Ok then" I said with a smile.

* * *

The five of us met Sultan Aladdin, Sultana Jasmine and Prince Aziz at The Garden Grill. This was the same restaurant that Ben was photographed leaving in the article. I squeezed his hand as we walked in. He leaned into me and whisper in my ear "I love you." I looked up at him and smiled. He always knew how to put me at ease.

We had a wonderful dinner. Az and his parents were so easy to talk to. You could tell Ben and his family had been close to them for a long time. It was fun listening to Belle and Jasmine talk about the trouble Ben and Az use to get into as children. Because they planned to stay in town through Thanksgiving, Belle insisted that they stay at the castle and have Thanksgiving with us. By the end of the night they had insisted that I just call them by their names when we were in friendly settings like this.

"We do away with royal formalities when we are just with family and friends" Aladdin said to me with a smile.

After dinner Ben walked Evie and I up to our dorm. Evie quickly excused herself and went into our dorm closing the door behind her.

"Thanks for going to dinner with us" Ben said.

"I'm just glad I got to spend extra time with you, even if it was with everyone else also" I said smirking at him. I reached up and grabbed the lapels of his jacket, pulling him to me. He wrapped his arms around me as I pressed up on my toes, pushing my lips to his. I kissed him slowly. Dragging it out as much as I could. We were standing in the dorm hallway, so it wasn't like we could really make out or anything. After a minute I pulled back, dropping back down on my feet. "When do you think we will get to spend any time together?" I asked him. He sighed.

"Hopefully not too long" he said. "I have tons of paperwork like usual and I'm trying to work out how we are going to go about placing the cameras on the Isle" he said. "It's the end of the year so things tend to get busy for me with transcribing all my meetings to be filed for the year. Plus the Christmas Ball happening this year." I could feel him tensing up with stress as he spoke.

"Baby, calm down" I said rubbing his chest. "We will work it out. Besides I will be spending Thanksgiving with you again and it seems like it will just be me this year since Jay, Evie, and Carlos will be spending Thanksgiving with their significant others" I told him. "I'm sure we can find some time to ourselves, if we can sneak away from Az that is." I smirked up at him and he just grinned before leaning in to kiss me again.

"I just wish things could be like they are with our friends, you know. They get to be with each other all the time. I hate that I can't spend the amount of time with you that I want" he said.

"I know you do and the fact that I know you would rather spend time with me is enough" I said trying to reassure him for the hundredth time.

"I'll call you tomorrow" he said leaning in to peck my lips again. "I love you" he said when he pulled back.

"I love you too" I said back. I watched as he made his way back down the hallway. I needed to find a way to make Ben feel less guilty about not getting to spend a lot of time with me, but how?

* * *

**The next chapter is a long one, so stay tuned!**

**Reviews are love...and sometime you guys inspire some great ideas, so keep em' coming!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: This was a fun chapter to write. This whole chapter is from my own head but still fits the canon storyline. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

The following two weeks leading up to Thanksgiving were just as busy for me as they were for Ben. Fairy Godmother sent for me to come to her office the Monday after the council meeting. I wasn't sure what she wanted to see me for. Was it because the press were being more of a nuisance lately? I really had no control over that. I didn't think I had done anything wrong. Only one way to find out what she wanted I thought as I made my way to her office and knocked on the door. "Come in" I heard and opened the door and saw Fairy Godmother sitting behind her desk.

"Hello dear one" she said, smiling warmly at me. That instantly put me at ease. Fairy Godmother almost always had a sweet demeanor, but if something was wrong she wouldn't hide it behind a smile.

"You sent for me Fairy Godmother?" I inquired stepping into her office.

"Yes. Will you please close the door?" she asked and I turned, closing the door before coming to sit in one of the chairs in front of her desk. "I have a few questions" she said and I just nodded. "First off, how have you been feeling since cotillion?" she asked.

"Um... like physically feeling?" I asked.

"Yes. I should probably let you know that I know you didn't actually have a stomach bug the other week" she said. My eyes widened. I hope I wasn't in trouble for that. "You aren't in trouble. I understand what you were dealing with" she said like she could read my mind.

"Well I guess I have felt fine" I said to her.

"Ok, have you used any magic since then?" she asked. I gave my spell book to her to put in the museum, so I wondered why she would ask this, but I knew I couldn't lie to her. I mean, she asked me here for a reason, so honesty was probably the best policy.

"Just once" I said feeling a bit nervous now.

"Was it a spell from the spell book or something else?" she asked.

"It wasn't from the spell book but it wasn't like accidental magic" I answered. I assumed by 'something else' she was meaning something I couldn't control.

"Please explain" she said. I began to fidget a little with my bag that sat in my lap. How could I tell her about the spell I used without going into why I used it. Maybe I could just tell her what the spell was and she wouldn't ask any questions.

"It was just a spell I came up with to lock doors. It wasn't in the spell book though" I said.

"And the spell worked?" she asked looking at me intently.

"Yes ma'am, but I only used it once and it is the only magic I have used, I swear" I said hoping she wasn't going to get upset. She sat quietly for a moment just looking at me.

"Hmm, I think we are going to have to talk to Ben about this" she said to me.

"Ben already knows I used this spell" I said before thinking about it. I watched a slightly stunned expression cross her face for a moment before she spoke.

"It's not because I want to tattle on you dear" she said, giving me a smile. "It seems your magic is developing naturally." I knit my brow not quite understanding what she was talking about.

"I have been doing some research since cotillion. Like me you are a fairy, well part fairy, but my magic is contained to my wand, but it seems that yours isn't contained to anything. Your mother's magic was contained to her scepter. She needed it along with her spell book to preform magic. Though I have some suspicions now that it wasn't always that way. You don't need anything to preform magic and it seems you can come up with simple spells on your own" she said to me.

"What does this all mean?" I asked, feeling a little panicked. I hope this wasn't something that would mean I would have to go back to the Isle.

"I don't think it is a bad thing Mal" she said to me. "It just means you will have to learn to control it. I don't think you will use your magic to do bad things. You proved that at cotillion. If anything I think we are better protected having you here" she said smiling at me.

"I definitely don't want to do bad things" I said. "So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Well the biggest piece of magic you have used on your own was when you transformed into a dragon at cotillion. Was that something you did intentionally or did it just happen?" she asked.

"It just happened. All I could think about was keeping everyone safe. Keeping Ben safe" I told her. "Changing back into me was intentional and it was easy."

"Can you explain what you mean by that?" she asked me. I thought about how to explain it.

"Well I didn't know what was happening when I changed. I just felt the warmth of magic surging through me and I couldn't stop it, but when I was a dragon it was easy. I knew all I had to do to be me again was to envision myself as me."

"It seems that your transformation was emotionally motivated. A lot of magic comes from just envisioning what you want" she informed me. "You and I can start meeting regularly so we can see how powerful your magic is and hone your magic so that it is second nature and you can control it at all times, not just in emotionally charged situations" she told me. "How about we start meeting Fridays after classes?"

"Ok" I said. She told me she would let Ben know about it, but of course I would also talk to him about it. I didn't want him to think I would just use magic all of the time because of this, and I definitely wouldn't use magic when it came to our relationship. I tried that before and it blew up in my face and is why I decided to give up my spell book in the first place.

* * *

Ben wound up calling me that evening, like I figured he would, after he got the email from Fairy Godmother.

"Hey baby" he said when I answered the phone. Well, he didn't sound upset.

"Hey. I'm guessing you got Fairy Godmother's email" I said to him.

"I did" he said simply.

"And how do you feel about all of this?" I asked, as I laid back on my bed.

"Well you already showed me you could use magic on your own, so I guess it's a good idea to figure it all out so nothing bad happens. Fairy Godmother says your magic can be emotionally charged so it's best if you learn how to control it" he said.

"Well are you ok with that?" I asked. I didn't want to do anything that would upset him or make him uncomfortable.

"Of course. I told you I don't have a problem with magic per se, I just don't want it to be what runs our relationship. I want things between us to be authentic and real" he said.

"I know and I definitely won't use magic like I did before. That's why I gave up my spell book. I want us to be real too" I told him. "And I can tell you for sure that my love for you is one hundred percent real."

"My love for you is real too. It was real even when it was suppose to be a spell" he said, referring to when I put him under that love spell. "It was real even when Uma spelled me."

"I know. If it wasn't the true love's kiss wouldn't have worked" I said with a giggle.

"What I'd give to kiss you now" he flirted.

We chatted for a little while longer before he had to get back to work and I left to get dinner with Evie and the boys.

* * *

The week remained busy. Ben had sent us a message letting us know that the cameras had been placed on the Isle and we could start our surveillance and see if we could dwindle down our list. They placed the cameras well I thought. We had full view of Dragon Hall and many of the hangout spots for the kids on the Isle. We technically only had to decide on three kids because Dizzy was already picked. She was the perfect candidate for coming to Auradon. With her in mind I decided the best course of action when deciding was to look at kids that tried to mind their own business and my list started to narrow down but we still had a long way to go.

It was now Friday afternoon and Fairy Godmother sent me an email to meet her on the back lawn of the school. I wondered why we had to meet here. Though it was sunny, it was still pretty cool out. I watched as Fairy Godmother came out of the school and made her way down the stone steps to the lawn where I stood.

"Why did you want to meet out here?" I asked her.

"Well I thought we would go ahead and try the big stuff first" she said.

"Big? As in dragon big?" I questioned catching on and she nodded.

"You said that to change back, all you had to do was envision yourself again. Maybe it will also work in reverse. So we can start with you envisioning yourself in dragon form" she said.

"Um ok" I said, putting my bag down on the ground. Fairy Godmother moved away about thirty feet.

"Whenever you are ready Mal" she called out.

I stood still and tried envisioning myself as a dragon. I closed my eyes trying to picture myself as a dragon again. I could feel my powers now that I was focusing on them but I didn't feel anything like I felt when I transformed before. I wasn't sure what to do. This didn't seem to be working.

"How are you feeling?" I heard Fairy Godmother ask after a few minutes of nothing happening. She walked back over to where I was standing.

"I can feel my powers but I don't feel like I felt last time" I told her.

"Hmm. It seems that this kind of magic has to be triggered" she said.

"My mother told me that she could turn into a dragon whenever she wanted to" I said. If my mother could then why couldn't I?

"Your mother was very powerful, but there was probably still a trigger for her" she said.

She was probably right. My mother was evil and I'm sure she only turned into a dragon to do evil things. Maybe that was her trigger. I gasped. I hope that wasn't my trigger!

"What?" Fairy Godmother questioned.

"My mother was evil and I was just thinking that that was probably what triggered her. Doing evil things. I just hope that isn't what triggers me" I said a little apprehensive.

"It isn't" she said smiling at me. "You didn't change to do evil the first time." I sighed. She had a point.

"So we need to figure out what my trigger is then right?" I said.

"Correct. Have you felt the way you did when you transformed before?" she asked me.

"Sort of. Before cotillion I would get these strong, like surges, when I would feel overwhelmed" I said. She nodded her head as if she understood.

"That would be your magical manifestation. It was when your powers were developing into what they are and why you were able to transform. Like a magical growth spurt" she explained.

"So I wasn't almost about to turn into a dragon when they happened?" I asked.

"No" she said with a laugh. "I think you are triggered when there is a threat."

"Why do you think that is the trigger?" I asked her.

"Well you said that all you could think about was keeping the ones you cared about safe, correct?" she said. I nodded my head. "Ok so we will try that theory and see how it works. We don't have a direct threat, obviously, but Uma is still on the loose so maybe if you think of her returning it will work" she suggested.

"Ok" I said and Fairy Godmother moved a safe distance again.

I closed my eyes and thought about Uma returning. Thought about how her shell's magic is able to work here in Auradon. The havoc she could wreak. My body began to feel warm like it did last time and I opened my eyes, which I knew were glowing, to see the purple fog swirling around me. I felt myself lifting up and suddenly I was a dragon again. It felt so natural. I flew around for a moment and then landed back where I had been standing, returning back to human form once again.

"It worked!" I exclaimed with a smile. Fairy Godmother walked back over to me with a smile on her face also.

"It was just a theory and I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did. Now I wonder if just the thought of any threat would work or if it has to be real?" she wondered. "Let's try again, but this time think about something that isn't a real threat" she said.

I thought for a moment then gave her a nod. She moved away for the third time. I thought about my mother turning back into her human form and trying to take over Auradon again. Of her getting her scepter back. Again I felt the warmth and saw the fog as I rose into the air again. I felt so excited that I took a flying lap around the school before landing again.

"It felt easier that time" I said. I was a little out of breath from flying but I was so happy I could do it.

"I'm starting to think that it might have more to do with your protective instinct rather than a direct threat since you can do it when there isn't one, but they kind of go hand in hand so there is no telling" Fairy Godmother said. Just then her phone started ringing and she reached in her pocket, pulling it out and answering it.

"Hello...Oh...Yes that was Mal..." my ears perked up at the mention of my name. "Yes we were just practicing...I probably should have warned you. I'm so sorry...I will let you know next time...Yes she's right here...Of course" Fairy Godmother held her phone out to me and mouthed "Ben". I took the phone to talk to him.

"Hey" I said. "What's going on?" I asked, only having heard one side of the conversation which gave nothing away.

"Hey. I just got a panicked call from my head of security saying the guards saw a dragon flying over the school. I just wanted to make sure it was you" he said.

"It was. I didn't even think about other people seeing me when decided to try to see if I could do it" I told him. I looked over at Fairy Godmother and her face told me she didn't think of that either.

"I will have my people release a statement so citizens don't panic or anything" he said.

"I'm so sorry Ben. We didn't mean to cause trouble" I said. Looks like I just created more work for him.

"It's ok baby. So tell me, can you just change whenever you want to now?" he asked me.

"Sorta" I said. "We found that I have to be triggered and it's either a threat or my natural protective instincts that trigger it."

"You must be truly good if wanting to protect Auradon is what turns you into a dragon" he said with a chuckle.

"Yep, I guess so" I said with a little laugh. "I really hope I didn't cause you to have more work to do."

"I will have my dad take care of it. He is sitting right here and I'm getting better at delegating tasks to him" he said, more to his dad than to me I thought.

"Well I will let you get back to work and I won't turn into a dragon anymore today" I told him.

"Ok I love you" he said.

"I love you too bye" I said before hanging up and handing the phone back to Fairy Godmother.

"Well I think that's enough for today. Lets meet again on Wednesday before Thanksgiving" she said to me.

"Thanks for everything Fairy Godmother. I'm learning stuff about myself I never knew" I said to her.

"It's my pleasure dear" she said smiling at me.

I grabbed my bag and headed towards the dorms. As I walked through the courtyard I could see everyone whispering and looking at me. I guess I was seen. I felt like I wanted to say something but decided against it. I looked up and saw Evie walking quickly over to me.

"Tell me that was you" she said in a rush. I sighed.

"It was me. Who else would it have been?" I asked her.

"Lots of people are fearing it was your mom" she said. I hadn't even thought about that.

"Crap, ok" I said and I pulled out my phone and quickly called Ben back.

"Miss the sound of my voice already" he said teasing me. I didn't respond to that and just said what I called for.

"How long before you release a statement?" I asked.

"It's being sent to the press now. Why?" he asked

"Apparently people are fearing it may have been my mom" I told him."Ben I'm so sorry. I never meant for anything like this to happen" I said.

"I know...hang on a sec" he said. I could hear muffled talking through the phone. It was about a minute before he was back. "Ok we are going to send out a text alert so everyone will be notified within a few minutes" he said.

"Ok call me later if you can. I love you" I said.

"Love you too" he said back. I ended the call and looked back up at Evie.

"There will be a text alert sent out soon" I told her.

"He can do that?" she asked incredulously.

"He is the king" I said with a small smile. Just then both of our phones chimed with messages. We could hear the phones of others near by going off too. I looked at my phone to read the statement Ben had sent out.

_**People of Auradon, I would just like to put your mind at ease and let you know there is no immediate threat to the kingdom. You may have witnessed a dragon sighting today. That was Lady Mal. She is working with Fairy Godmother on her magical skills. She was able to find out today that it is her protective instincts that allow her to transform. So you may rest easy knowing she will protect Auradon. Thank you -King Benjamin.**_

"Wow Mal. Why didn't tell me you were going to be practicing turning into a dragon today?" Evie asked as we began to walk toward the dorms.

"I didn't know. Fairy Godmother just told me we were going to start big when I got there" I told her as we made our way up the stairs.

"So can you change whenever you want like your mom could?" Evie asked me when we walked into our room and I sat down on my bed.

"Well yes and no" I answered her. She just gave me a confused look. "It has to be triggered. I can't just think about being a dragon and I become a dragon. When we first started I couldn't do it and then Fairy Godmother told me to think about Uma returning and see what happens and that worked" I told her.

"Ben said it was your protective instincts in the text" Evie said reading the text again.

"That's because there has to be a threat for me to change and Fairy Godmother thinks it may be my protective instincts that trigger the change and not just the threat because I was able to change just thinking of a random threat against the ones I love. It didn't have to be real" I said hoping that made sense to her. She nodded her head.

"So how does Ben feel about all of this?" she asked me.

"He seems ok with it" I said with a shrug. "Other than transforming today, I have only used magic once since cotillion" I told her.

"What did you have to use magic for and does Ben know that?" she asked. I couldn't stop the smile that spread on my face when I thought about why I had used magic.

"Mal? I really want to know now!" Evie said looking at me intently.

"Yes Ben knows. He was there when I used it" I said.

"Go on" she said wanting the story.

"It was on Halloween when Ben came over and we made up. It was just a spell to lock the door" I told her.

"Well, isn't that convenient" Evie said with a smirk. Just then my phone chimed with a message.

_**I was sitting out on the balcony of the library at the castle and I just happened to see a dragon flying around. 🐲**_

I laughed out loud. "Ben?" Evie asked. I shook my head no as I typed my reply.

_**Well I'm sure you got Ben's text alert so don't panic lol**_

"It' Az. Apparently he saw me from the balcony at the castle" I told her.

_**Yeah well at least I got a glimpse of what I missed at cotillion**_.

* * *

Evie and I met up with the boys over the weekend to discuss what we thought about the things going on at the Isle. We could see more than just the kids on the cameras. From what we could see, Harry Hook was the same as he always had been. He has taken on the captains role in the pirate gang it seems, now that Uma wasn't there. Gil was the same old Gil. A little out of it but oddly friendly to everyone. If only he was a few years younger he would probably be a perfect candidate to bring over.

Before I knew it it was Wednesday and I was on my way back to the Magical History classroom to meet Fairy Godmother. When I got there, Fairy Godmother wasn't there, but Ben was. He stood when I walked over to him.

"Hey, where's Fairy Godmother?" I asked, setting my bag down on the desk he was just sitting on.

"Mr. Deley needed to talk to her" he answered, reaching for me and pulling me to him. I smiled up at him.

"And what are you doing here? I thought I wasn't going to get to see you until I came over this evening" I inquired.

"I wrapped up all the work that needed my immediate attention this morning and figured I would come and watch your magic lesson and then I could escort you back to the castle" he said.

"Well aren't you quite the gentleman" I teased, rubbing my hands up and down his arms.

"I try" he said leaning in and pressing his lips to mine. It felt so good to really kiss him. I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip asking for entrance. I let myself get swept away in the kiss and was startled when we heard Fairy Godmother clear her throat as she walked back into the room.

"Sorry" I said stepping away from Ben.

"It's alright dear. I just hope Ben's presence won't be a distraction" she said as she sat down at her desk in the classroom and I sat at the desk right in front of hers, next to Ben.

"Ok so we went big on Friday so maybe we should work on small stuff today" she said. "Now, you said you have done only one spell since cotillion and it was one you came up with on your own correct?" she asked me and I nodded. "Ok please demonstrate that spell if you would."

"Um ok. Turn the lock to make them knock" I said and waved my hand at the door and we heard the lock click into place. Fairy Godmother looked at me and smiled. I could see Ben smirking out of the corner of my eye. I knew where his mind was.

"Simple" she said. "Do you know a spell to unlock a door?" she asked.

"Just the one from the spell book" I said. "I don't think I would ever use that spell unless I get locked in somewhere."

"Why don't you try making up another spell" she suggested to me.

"Um ok, like what?" I asked. I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head that I would want to use magic for besides locking doors.

"Try a summoning spell" she suggested.

"Ok let me think" I said, looking around. My eyes landed on a jar of pencils sitting on Fairy Godmother's desk. "To my hand you will fly, jar of pencils now comply" I said lifting my hand towards them. They swiftly flew off the desk and into my hand. Fairy Godmother clapped her hands.

"Very good" she said happily. "There wasn't even a hesitation. I expected whatever you summoned to shift a little maybe but I didn't really expect it to work. Your powers are pretty strong" she said with a smile.

I looked over at Ben who was slouching in his chair. He smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Now we will test just how powerful they are" Fairy Godmother said as she stood and walked around her desk. She stepped over to me and grabbed the jar of pencils and placed them back on her desk. "Now I want you to try to summon them again without saying anything out loud."

"How do I do that?" I asked her.

"Just think of the spell you just used in your head. Like I said a lot of magic happens by just envisioning it" she said to me.

I looked at the jar of pencils and reached my hand out again thinking of the spell in my head. As the jar shifted on the desk I saw Ben lean forward in his seat out of the corner of my eye and I turned my head to look at him. His seat suddenly slid into mine. I laughed at his stunned face.

"Sorry" I said to him still laughing.

"So can you explain why Ben moved instead of the jar?" Fairy Godmother asked with a smirk on her face.

"Well I could see him leaning forward out of the corner of my eye and when I turned and focused on him I guess my magic also focused on him" I said with a shrug.

"Try the pencils again please" she said. Ben slid his seat back and I turned my eyes back to the pencils. I'm not going to let anything distract me this time I thought before I began to chant the spell in my head. The jar shifted again, sliding to the edge then it fell to the floor.

"Hmmm" Fairy Godmother hummed.

"Why didn't it work?" I asked. "Ben flew right into me."

"Your magic is very emotionally driven" she said. "You are emotionally tied to Ben. A summoning spell, whether spoken out loud or not will probably always work on him. You are magical bound by true love."

I looked at Ben. I couldn't read his face.

"With practice you will be able to summon ordinary things silently" she said. "We will end here for today. We can meet here again next Friday after classes. I hope you two have a wonderful Thanksgiving" she said, as I grabbed my bag and Ben and I made our way out of the classroom.

* * *

Ben was very pensive and didn't say anything as we walked back to my dorm to get my things. Evie was not there and I was glad.

"Ben you know I won't try to magically summon you right?" I said turning to him after I set my bag down on my bed. "It was an accident." He just nodded his head. "Ben come on, talk to me" I said walking up to him and grabbing his hand.

"It's just what Fair Godmother said about us being magically bound. It just has me thinking that what if what we feel for each other isn't real. What if it's just magic" he said. I couldn't help but laugh. He looked at me stunned by my reaction.

"It doesn't work like that. True loves kiss is magic but it's not like a spell we are under. It is magic that only works for those who share true love. Our love has to be real for it to even work in the first place and it will always work for us" I explained. "Didn't you learn about this in grade school?"

"Probably" he said with a small smile, relaxing. "Back then all that love stuff was for girls, so I probably just remembered what I need to to pass the test then it was gone again."

"Well now you're living it mister" I said and pushed up on my toes to kiss him. The kiss was short and sweet. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Every kiss we have ever shared has been true loves kiss" I said.

He leaned down and kissed me again. This kiss was a bit more frenzied. Ben began walking, pushing me back until we reached my bed and he guided me to lay down. I spread my legs so he could comfortably settle over me. His right hand gripped my thigh pulling me to him. I cupped his face and savored his mouth. I moaned out as he rubbed himself against me. His lips sliding across my cheek to the spot just below my ear. "God you turn me on so much" he said in my ear. I started to push his jack off his shoulders. He leaned back and pulled it off, before settling back on top of me and claiming my lips again. I felt his right hand cup my breast, my nipple puckered under his ministrations.

We suddenly heard a shriek and I moved quickly to sit up, pushing Ben backwards with such force that he tumbled off the side of the bed. I looked over and saw Evie's shocked face as she stood in the doorway to our dorm.

"Umm...Ah...I just need to get my things to stay with Doug" she said, now looking anywhere but at me. I scrambled to my feet and over to where Ben lay out of sight, on the other side of my bed.

"Are you ok?" I asked him.

"Yeah, but I think I'm just going to lay here and die of embarrassment" he murmured, throwing his arm over his face.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know you guys were here" Evie said as she tried to collect her things as quickly as she could.

"It's ok Evie" Ben called out without moving.

I let out a little laugh. I found the situation more comical than embarrassing, even though it was a little embarrassing. Evie looked more embarrassed than anyone.

"So, you're staying with Doug tonight?" I asked trying to take everyone's mind off what just happened. I reached my hand down to Ben to help him stand and he just sat on my bed and didn't say anything.

"Yes we have to get up early to head into the city for the parade" she said. Doug was going to be in the Araudon Thanksgiving Day Parade again this year with The Marching Knights, Auradon Prep's marching band. "I can't believe I get to watch it live this year" Evie gushed with a big smile on her face. I smiled back at her, as I too started to gather my things to stay at the castle.

"You will have to let me know how it goes" I told her.

"You and Doug are going to meet us at the tree lighting on Saturday though right?" Ben asked.

"Of course" she said. "And I will be over to help decorate the tree on Sunday" she said with a smile. Last year was the first year we ever celebrated Christmas and it was the best. I think everyone's favorite part was decorating the Christmas tree.

"Well I will leave you two alone" Evie said as she grabbed her bag and slid the strap over her shoulder. "I hope you guys have a great Thanksgiving. I'll call you tomorrow M" she said looking over at me.

"Have fun E" I said as she opened the door and gave a little wave before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"That was so embarrassing" Ben said throwing himself back on my bed. I laughed a little.

"We were just making out" I said as I walked over and sat on the bed next to him. I heard him let out a breath.

"I'm sure it looked less innocent than it was, with me being on top of you, and had she walked in about five minutes later, I'm certain it would have been" he said giving me a look.

"Well she's gone now" I flirted, as I began to play with the buttons on his shirt. He sat up pushing his lips to mine. I instantly opened my mouth to him, letting our tongues slide together. I felt his hand reach around my waist trying to pull me closer to him. I turned my body and swung my leg over his, straddling him. Oh how I loved this position. He pulled his lips from mine, trailing them down my throat, his hands grasping my backside. I tipped my head back, giving him more access as I gripped his hair. Just then his phone began ringing. I heard him growl as he pulled his lips from me.

"I have to get that" he said. He was king so he always had to at least see who was calling him. I moved off his lap and noticed how turned on he was. He reached for his jacket, pulling his phone out to see who was calling. "My mom" he said before answering the phone.

"Hey mom...Yeah...We just had to stop to get Mal's stuff...Ok. We'll be there soon. Ok, bye." I watched as he ended the call then looked at me. "Mom was seeing how long we would be. Dinner will be ready soon and since we have guest over it would be rude to skip out" he said.

"I'll finish getting my stuff ready and we can go" I told him. He looked a little frustrated and I knew how he felt. We hadn't had any real alone time since Halloween. I would be staying at the castle until Sunday so I'm sure we will be able to find some time.

* * *

**Thanksgiving Day is next! You can read about Ben And Mal's first Thanksgiving together in my story, Holidays, if you haven't already read it. There is a lot of references to that story in the next chapter.**

**Reviews are love!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Time for Ben and Mal to spend their second Thanksgiving together. I have already brainstormed out then next 5 chapters or so. We are getting closer to Ben and Mal taking that big step! Happy reading!**

**Content Warning.**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I was having the best dream. I was dreaming about Ben. That he was kissing me. His lips felt so warm on my skin, finding all the right spots on the side of my neck. I couldn't help the moan that escaped me. My eyes fluttered open and I registered that I wasn't dreaming. Ben was in the room I was staying in and he was kissing me.

"Mmm" I moaned again, bringing my hands up to run my fingers through his hair. "Ben" I breathed out his name. "What time is it?" I asked as I tilted my head back so he could continued to kiss along the column of my neck.

"A little after eight I think" he said against my skin, just below my ear.

I felt trapped under the covers because he was on top of them hovering over me. I let him go and began trying to push them down. He moved from one side and then to the other so that I could move the covers out of the way before he moved back over me, settling between my legs. He was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants, while I was in my usual tank top and shorts. He brought his lips to mine before I could protest because I hadn't brushed my teeth, but he didn't seem to mind and right now I didn't either. I reached down and pushed my hands under his t-shirt wanting to feel his skin. He smiled against my lips.

"I love feeling your hands on me" he said. He took one of his hands and started to touch me also. Starting at my thigh and sliding it up over my hip and up my side before cupping my breast. I let out a soft moan as I felt my nipple tighten and bead at his touch. "I love how you respond to my touch" he said pinching my nipple gently before trailing his lips down my neck again. I was burning for his touch. I lifted my hips, rubbing myself against him. I heard him groan softly. His hand dropped to the edge of my tank top, pulling it up to reveal my breasts him. "You're perfect" he said, before dropping his mouth to me. His tongue swirling around my nipple before he sucked it into his mouth. My breathing began to hitch as all the sensations he was causing shot straight to my core. His mouth slid across my chest to the other breast to give it the same attention.

I was lost in what he was doing to me when we heard a knock on the door. Ben dropped his head against the center of my chest. "Dammit" he muttered. Another knock.

"Mal. Are you up?" we heard Belle's voice through the door.

"Did you lock the door?" I whispered frantically to Ben and he shook his head. I couldn't very well lock the door now. Belle would hear it click.

"Just a minute" I called out, pushing Ben to sit up. "You have to hide in the bathroom" I whispered to him. He got up, his sleep pants not hiding at all how what we were doing affected him. He quickly walked into the en suite bathroom and closed the door quietly. I hopped up and threw on my robe before walking to the door and opening it to reveal Belle standing there with an apron on.

"Good morning" she said with a smile. "I'm sorry if I woke you."

"It's ok. I need to get up anyhow. Have you and Mrs. Potts already started in the kitchen?" I asked eyeing her apron.

"Not yet we wanted to wait for you, so I decided to come see if you were up and going to be heading down soon" she said to me. This was my second Thanksgiving with them and I loved how included I felt.

"I just have to get dressed and then I will be down" I said with a smile.

"Ok dear" she said smiling at me. "Jasmine is going to be helping this year and we got everything so you can make cookies for the boys again."

"I can't wait" I told her.

"See you in a little bit" she said before turning and heading back down the hall. I hoped she wasn't going to go looking for Ben in his room. I closed the door, leaning back against it and sighing in relief. I walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"The coast is clear" I said through the door before stepping over to my bag to pull my clothes out. Ben walked out of the bathroom and up behind me.

"I don't know how many more interruptions I can take before I explode" he said kissing my shoulder. I giggled finding my bra and pulling it out. Ben noticed what I was doing, "You're getting dressed?" he asked. I turned and saw the little pout on his face.

"They are waiting for me down in the kitchen" I told him. He tilted his head back looking at the ceiling and sighed. I couldn't help it, I lifted up on my toes and pressed my lips to the front his throat. He dropped his head back down and I slid my mouth to the edge of his jaw. He reached his hands up to my face and guided my lips to his and kissed me sweetly. I pulled away after a minute. "I have to get dressed" I said.

"Why?" he asked grabbing my hips and pulling me against him.

"Because they are waiting for me. Besides I have to get started making cookies" I said smiling at him.

"Ok" he said releasing me. "Only because you're making cookies and I love your cookies" he teased.

Ben snuck back out of my room and I got dressed and went down to the kitchen.

"Sorry I kept you guys waiting" I said to them. Mrs. Potts was already prepping the turkey. I walked over to the counter where all the ingredients for all the dishes sat. "Will we have the same things as last year?" I asked.

"Pretty much, but Jasmine is going to make her famous couscous and some baklava" Belle said smiling at Jasmine who was working some dough. I had had both of those things when Ben and I had dinner with them on our royal tour over the summer.

"Yum. I can't wait!" I said smiling at them. "I guess I will get started on the cookies. I think this may just be my tradition now" I said smiling at Belle.

"I think so too. I think Ben would be disappointed if you didn't make them" she said with a laugh. "Let's turn on the TV. Evie said she was going to be at the parade today. Maybe we can catch a glimpse of her" Belle said turning the TV on.

"She will be easy to spot" I laughed.

We continued with our preparations. I really loved spending time with Belle like this. I loved how close we were becoming.

"So how have things been going since your appointment?" Belle whispered to me while Mrs. Potts and Jasmine were discussing the ingredients in the couscous.

"Well my period was a week late and I called Dr. Connor and she said that it is normal to be a little irregular, to wait and if it didn't start in the next two weeks that we would make an appointment, but it started the next day" I told her and she nodded her head. "It was much heavier than usual but I remember her saying that was normal too."

"And how are you and Ben doing?" she asked. Was she trying to ask if Ben and I have had sex in a round about way I wondered. I thought about how to answer her.

"We are good. It was hard when those articles came out but we just promised that from now on we will try to talk to each other when situations like that occur, which I hope they don't. Other than that, we really haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together. I know Ben feels guilty that he can't spend quality time with me" I said hoping that my answer would let her know that we haven't had sex yet.

"Well after the Christmas Ball he should have more time" she said with a smile as the timer on the oven went off, telling me my cookies were ready. I took them out and let them cool before putting them on a plate to take to the guys.

I carried the plate to the theater room were I was sure to find the guys watching the Thanksgiving day tourney match. Sure enough they were in there. As I walked in unnoticed they all stood up and cheered, high-fiving each other.

"I've got cookies" I called out getting their attention. They all got up and came over to grab some cookies off the plate that I placed on the side table.

"These are delicious!" Aladdin said. "You have yourself a keeper there Ben" He said smiling at me.

"I know" Ben said smiling at me proudly.

"Well everything should be ready by one so don't stuff yourself with these cookies" I told them before I turned and left the room.

I felt a sense of déjà vu when Ben called out to me, stopping me in the hallway. He walked up to me and pulled me to him pressing his lips to mine briefly.

"Thanks for the cookies, but I know something that tastes so much better" he said in my ear.

"Benjamin" I said swatting his arm.

"What? It's all I have been able to think about for weeks" he said, running his hands around to cup my backside as he pressed kisses to my neck.

"Ben get your tail in here. We are about to score again" we heard Az call out.

"Just like last year" I said with a laugh.

"Nothing like last year" Ben said against my skin as he gave my backside a squeeze.

"Hey, enough macking in the hall!" Az said from the doorway to the theater room. Ben growled in frustration, sliding his hands up to my waist but not letting me go.

"I'll be in in a minute dude" Ben said to Az, his head tipping back in frustration. Az chuckled and went back in to watch the game.

"You're right, no one came out and caught us last year" I said with a giggle.

"If only we could get an hour without being interrupted" he said, the frustration clear in his voice. I ran my hands up and down his arms trying to soothe his frustration.

"I know" I said kissing him softly once more. "You better get back in there though before your dad comes out next" I said stepping out of his arms and giving him a little shove towards the door. "I'll see you when it's time to eat" I told him and headed back to the kitchen.

* * *

We were all sitting at the table in the formal dining room. The food looked amazing and I was starving because I didn't taste test anything. Adam stood to get everyone's attention.

"Before we begin let us all share what we were thankful for this year. I am thankful for all the extra time I have gotten to spend with my beautiful wife" Adam said, smiling at Belle lovingly.

"I am thankful I get to share this Thanksgiving with old friends" Belle said smiling over at Aladdin and Jasmine.

"I am thankful for all the blessings we have received this year" Aladdin said.

"I am thankful I did not have to organize or host Thanksgiving this year" Jasmine said with a smile.

"I am thankful that my best friend is the King which makes it easier to pick up girls when I tell them who my best friend is" Az said and we all laughed.

"I am thankful Chip is doing so well in school, though I wish he could have joined us" Mrs. Potts said.

"I'm thankful for everyone who helps me keep the household running smoothly" Said Cogsworth.

"I am thankful I kept the household running smoothly" he said making a jab at Cogsworth.

Now it was my turn. "I'm thankful for all of you. You have been the family I never thought I would have" I said looking over at Belle and Adam. Ben squeezed my hand under the table and I smiled up at him.

"I'm thankful that I made it through my first year as king and for the magic of true love" he said pressing his lips to the side of my head. Everyone lifted their glasses in cheers before we all ate.

* * *

"I think I ate too much" I said placing my hand on my tummy as we made our way to the theater room.

"So what are we doing now?" Az asked us as I plopped down on the sectional sofa.

"It is a tradition in Ben's family to watch a Christmas movie every year after they eat. What movie is it again babe?" I asked Ben.

"Miracle on 34th Street" he said.

"I still haven't actually seen it. I fell asleep last year" I said before a yawn escaped me. "Looks like I probably won't see it this year either" I said as I cuddled into Ben. Ben and Az just laughed at me as our parents came in and we all settled down to begin the movie. I didn't even make it through the first scene.

I was woken up by my phone ringing. I sat up realizing I was alone on the couch. I looked at my phone and saw that it was Evie calling.

"Hey E" I said, answering the phone.

"Hey! Did you guys see me on TV?" she asked.

"Belle and Jasmine spotted you. I missed it because I was taking cookies to the Guys" I told her. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes. It is so much more exciting in person" she told me. "How has your day been?"

"Good. A lot like last year. Ben and I still haven't been able to have any alone time" I said sighing.

"That must be frustrating" she said.

"Tell me about it" I said with a laugh. "I mean the last time we really got to be alone was Halloween."

"Thank goodness Doug doesn't have a roommate. I don't know what we would do" she said.

"E, that's it!" I exclaimed.

"What's it?" she asked not knowing what I was talking about.

"Well every time Ben and I try to be alone someone interrupts, but Ben has his own dorm. He has hardly used it since he became king though" I said.

"You guys could use it to be alone" she said catching on.

"That is if we can find the time. After this weekend we will both be busy with preparing for the Christmas Ball" I said.

"Yeah I have been so busy with the dresses. At least I'm not making as many as I did for cotillion" Evie said. She was only doing dresses for me, Belle, Queen Cinderella and herself.

"I can't wait to see my dress" I told her. Just then Ben walked back into the theater room with a piece of pie on a plate. He sat down next to me and began to eat his pie.

"I think I'm going to go with green for your dress" she said. "It's more Christmassy."

"That sound great" I said watching Ben as he ate his pie. "I gotta go. I'll call you later ok" I said.

"OK. Let me know if you are going shopping with Belle tomorrow. I might meet up with you guys. Talk to you later" she said.

"Ok bye" I hung up the phone and watched Ben take his last bite of pie. He leaned forward and placed his plate on the floor before turning and looking at me.

"Evie I take it" he said, guessing who I was on the phone with. I just nodded my head as my eyes zeroed in on a bit of whipped cream on his bottom lip. I leaned in and pressed my mouth to his, licking the whipped cream from his lip, sucking it softly before pulling back.

"You had some whipped cream on your lip" I told him. He just smiled at me. He leaned in and pressed his lips back to mine, his hand gripping my hip. We were in a position where we couldn't get too close without moving completely. As I thought about doing so we heard someone clear their throat. We pulled away from each other suddenly. What was I thinking? We were in a common living space after all. We turned and saw Adam standing in the door way.

"Sorry guys" he said. "Ben I need to talk to you in your office please."

"Ok. Is everything alright?" Ben asked him.

"I just got a message from PR. Something that probably needs our attention sooner rather than later" he said.

"I'll be there in a minute then" Ben said and we watched as Adam walked out.

"I need to find out what's going on" he said to me.

"Ok. I think I may go get myself some pie then take a long bath before bed" I told him. I grabbed his plate off the floor and we both made our way out of the room. Ben headed for his office while I went to the kitchen. Belle was sitting at the counter in the kitchen eating a piece of pie. "Can I join you?" I asked.

"Of course" she said, smiling at me. I got a piece of pie for myself, just using the same plate Ben had used and sat down next to her.

"Where is Ben?" she asked.

"Adam had to talk to him about some PR problem" I said. I wasn't sure what was going on. "You don't think it has anything to do with me do you?" I asked her.

"I don't know why it would" she said. "Probably just arranging the press for the Christmas Ball."

"Press come to the Christmas Ball?" I asked.

"No. They are permitted outside for arrivals but that's it" she told me. I wasn't so sure that that is what was going on. Adam made it seem a little more urgent than that. Urgent enough that it had to be handled on Thanksgiving.

Belle and I chatted as we finished our pie, making plans to go black Friday shopping the next day. I left her to go take a bath. After my bath I called Evie back and we made plans to meet up the next day so that she could shop with us. I decided to text Ben to see if he was still busy.

_**Hey everything ok?**_

I thought about just going to see if he was done but didn't want to interrupt if he wasn't.

_**On a call**_

I sighed. I guess he was still working. I decided I would draw for a little while before going to bed. I was going to be getting up super early tomorrow.

* * *

The next day went by quickly. Belle, Jasmine and I met up with Evie and we spent the day shopping. I found something I wanted to get Ben for Christmas but I had to order it.

"So did Adam say anything about what was going on with PR last night?" I asked Belle as we sat down to eat at the same Chinese restaurant we went to last year.

"We didn't really talk that much last night" Belle said with a little smirk on her face.

"OK I don't really need to know" I said with a giggle and everyone else laughed too.

"It is awesome to see the relationship the two of you have built" Jasmine said smiling over at Belle and I.

"It's nice to have a girl around in a house full of men" Belle said smiling at me.

"There is still Mrs. Potts" I reminded her.

"True but you are more like a daughter where she is more like a mother. It's different." she said.

"Az needs to get a girlfriend like you" Jasmine said to me. "I would love to have a mother daughter bond. Not that I don't love having a son. It would have been nice to have a daughter though" she said with a wistful smile.

"Well with how wonderful Az is, I'm sure he will snare a girl sooner or later" I said to her.

We did a little more shopping and like last year, we went and got mani pedis. I loved that we were making little traditions. By the time we got back to the castle I was exhausted. It was dinner time and everyone was having leftovers. I hadn't seen Ben at all today and like last night, I decided to text him.

_**Missed you today. I hope everything is ok.**_

I wasn't even sure if he would be able to reply. I jumped in the shower to get ready for bed. When I got out of the shower I noticed that Ben texted me back.

_**Sorry, we are trying to figure some stuff out with PR. I miss you too but I will see you tomorrow when we go get a tree.**_

I smiled. At least I would get to see him tomorrow.

_**I cant wait!**_

* * *

I didn't really get to spend a lot of time with Ben the next day either. We all went to get the Christmas tree. It looked different this year because it hadn't snowed at all yet. While we were there, Belle and I had to pick out trees to decorate the ballroom for the Christmas Ball. We had to choose eighteen trees that were all roughly the same shape and size. The trees would all be decorated for each region of the kingdom. We searched forever and in the end we gave up and decided to just get artificial trees this year. Belle said that would even make things easier for future Christmas Ball's because we would already have the trees.

When we returned to the castle Ben gave me a quick kiss, telling me he would see me when it was time to go to the tree lighting, and headed back to his office. I never got a chance to ask him what was going on.

We met up with our friends at the tree lighting. It was another great show just like last year. This year however Ben pulled me up on stage with him as he addressed the crowd. All part of being Lady of the Court I thought. He pressed the button after the countdown and pulled me into his side as we looked up at the beautiful tree.

I walked down to breakfast the next morning. I was looking forward to getting to decorate the tree today. I knew there was no way Ben was going to miss out on decorating, so I knew I would get to spend at least a little bit of time with him. I stepped into the dining room to find Evie was already there having breakfast with Belle.

"Good morning" I said to them. "When did you get here?" I asked Evie.

"About thirty minutes ago" she said with a smile.

It wasn't long before everyone else filtered into the dining room for breakfast. Everyone but Ben.

"Has anyone seen Ben this morning?" I asked.

"He's probably still sleeping. He was up late last night" Adam said. I nodded. Ben still hadn't made it down by the time everyone finished and we all headed to the sitting room to start decorating.

"I'm gonna go wake Ben up. I know he wouldn't want to miss decorating the tree" I said, turning in the direction of the stairs.

"Don't be too long or we will come looking" Az said pointing his finger at me in a knowing way. I just rolled my eyes at him and laughed. I had no doubt he would come looking just to mess with Ben. I didn't knock on his door. I turned the knob to find the door was unlocked. I stepped in looking at the bed and was surprised to see it empty. I heard the toilet flush in his bathroom and then the water in the sink turned on. He must be brushing his teeth I thought. I climbed on his bed to wait for him. I laid back on the pillows, closing my eyes and taking in the scent of him that clung to his sheets.

"I've dreamed of finding you in my bed" I heard Ben say. I opened my eyes smiling at him as he walked over to the foot of the bed and climbed on. He crawled up the bed and over me.

"Good morning" he said before pressing his lips to mine. He tasted like mint. I let my hands run up and down his bare back. His skin was always so warm. His lips drifted to my neck finding all the sensitive spots.

"Mmmm...good morning" I breathed out. Ben's hands were running all over me. I was losing myself to him again. I felt his hand move between our bodies as he began to try to unbutton my jeans. As much as I wanted him to continue, I knew we couldn't. Az's words ringing in my ears. "Baby. We can't" I said, reaching down to grab the hand that was working on my jeans. "Az said he would come looking if we took too long."

"Knowing him he would too" Ben said looking down at me. "God I want you so bad though" he said pressing himself against me. He was so hard and I moaned out at the feel of him. I pressed up on his chest and he rolled off of me onto his back. I reached down and rubbed him through his sleep pants.

"Can you be fast?" I asked as I slipped my hand in his pants and started stroking him. He closed his eyes and nodded. His breathing picked up as I worked him with my hand. He gripped my thigh with his hand.

"That feels so good" he moaned out. I leaned forward and kissed him. He groaned against my lips as I worked him with my hand. I pulled away, letting my lips trail down his neck to his chest. I slid my mouth over to his nipple which puckered as I ran my tongue around it. "I'm going to come baby" he said. I quickly pushed his waistband down to expose him and wrapped my lips around his member just in time. I felt him come in my mouth and I swallowed quickly against him causing him to groan. I pulled away smiling at him. He pulled his pants up over himself just as someone pounded on his door. I scooted to the edge of the bed.

"I'm coming in ready or not" we heard Az call out before he opened the door stepping into the room. I looked at Ben and he looked innocent enough. "What is taking you guys so long?" Az asked.

"Just waking him up" I said.

"Mmhmm" Az hummed. "Well we are all waiting for you guys."

"Ok. I'm going to head down. Get dressed and we will see you down stairs" I said to Ben. I leaned over and pecked his lips before standing and leaving the room with Az.

Az leaned over to me "You might want to button your pants before we get back down" he whispered. I gasped looking down at my pants. Sure enough Ben must have managed to free my button. I didn't say anything as I slid the button back through the hole. Az just laughed but didn't say anything else.

* * *

Decorating the tree was just as fun this year as it had been last year. This year however there was a lot of teasing between Az and Ben. Belle asked Ben and I to hang the stocking and we used this as an opportunity to talk.

"You managed to undo the button on my pants and Az noticed" I whispered to him.

"Sorry" he said with a little grin. I grinned back. He leaned over so that he was right next to my ear. "So why didn't you use your mouth the whole time?" he asked me.

"So that it wouldn't be so obvious. I didn't want my lips to be all red and puffy, but I also didn't want us to have to clean up in case someone came up, which is exactly what happened" I said. I watched him smile brightly.

"You are so smart" he said before kissing my cheek. "I owe you you know" he said to me.

"And I expect to be paid in full" I said flirtatiously, winking at him. He just chuckled.

"So what's going on with this whole PR situation?" I asked trying to get my mind off the things he could do to me.

"I'll tell you about it later" he said his face becoming more serious.

I didn't push it. I just enjoyed spending time with everyone and decorating. Belle and I scoured the internet to find some artificial trees that could be shipped in time for the ball.

Soon it was time for Aladdin, Jasmine, and Az to fly back home, and for Evie and I to head back to the dorms. I had already said goodbye to Ben because he had to get back to work.

We had been back at our dorms for a while and I was just getting ready for bed when I got a text message form Ben.

_**I won't be at school tomorrow but I need you to come to the castle after classes.**_

I wondered why he wouldn't be in school.

_**Is everything ok?**_

I was starting to worry.

_**I will explain everything tomorrow. I love you.**_

I didn't know what was going on but it seemed I had to wait to find out.

_**I love you too**_

* * *

**So we have a tiny issue that you will find out about next chapter.**

**Reviews are love!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys. I know the last chapter was a slight cliffhanger but I'm far enough ahead that I didn't have to make you wait long for this chapter 😊. Also I discovered these emoji's so I will probably use them often, especially when our couple are texting. This chapter starts in Ben's POV. I know I usually lean towards Mal's POV but that is only because Ben is always working and I don't think his work makes for interesting reading. Happy reading. **

**Reminder this story is rated M.**

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I had a good idea who was behind this but I had to have evidence. When my dad came and got me on Thanksgiving to address a PR issue, I thought it was going to have to do with the press at the Christmas Ball. Turns out it had nothing to do with the Christmas Ball. I knew I couldn't keep this from Mal. She was due to arrive soon.

I wasn't able to spend as much time with her as I wanted to lately. Every time we tried to be alone someone or something interrupted us. It was getting so frustrating, especially since we have become more intimate. Mal hasn't said that she is ready to take that last step, but she has been so eager lately. I couldn't wait for the Christmas Ball to be over, when I will have more free time. After yesterday morning I owe her.

I heard a light knock on the door. "Come in" I called out and Mal entered my office closing the door behind her.

"Ben what's going on?" she asked. She seemed really worried.

"We have an issue, but it isn't dire" I said hoping to ease her worry. "Turns out someone sent a tip to the press stating you were spending time with another guy and that is how those articles got started. The press already knew to go looking for something" I told her. She looked confused.

"How? Who?" she asked, shock plainly written on her face.

"They received an anonymous email. As for the who, I have my suspicions" I said. "I have a feeling that Audrey or Queen Leah may be behind this."

"How would either of them known that I was spending extra time with Derek? Audrey is still gone on her retreat and Queen Leah is in South Riding" she said.

"That is the speed bump I have hit. Right now we are waiting on our IT team to find out where the email came from" I told her. "This is the email they received." I turned my computer around and Mal walked up to my desk to read it.

* * *

To: Auradon Times; Auradon Daily; Auradon Post

From:

To whom it may concern,

I have stumbled upon something most news worthy and thought I would share it with you so that you may do your own digging. It is told that Lady Mal has been spending quite a bit of time with a gentleman who is _not_ the king. In fact she has been with said gentleman every afternoon for the last three days. I think this is a story worth looking into.

* * *

"Hmmm it certainly sounds like Queen Leah" Mal said. "If you find out who did it, is there anything you can do?" she asked me.

"What's done is done. If it was Audrey or Queen Leah I can issue consequences" I said.

"Consequences?" she asked.

"Nothing that bad. Just enough so that they know that it is unacceptable to spread untruths. The publications were already fined for defamation" I said. "So we can issue them fines also, maybe have them make a public apology." I heard her sigh. "What is it?" I asked her.

"It's just that I really don't want it hashed back up and a public apology would do that" she said to me, crossing her arms in front of her and dropped into the chair in front of my desk.

"What do you think we should do?" I asked her.

"Honestly Ben, I don't think much should be done. They are so proud that just confronting them with any proof you find might be enough to humiliate them" she said to me. "What if it wasn't them?" she asked me.

"I thought about that, but who else in this entire kingdom doesn't want us together?" I said shrugging my shoulders.

"True" she said. "So when will they know for sure who sent it?" she asked next.

"By the end of the day tomorrow, if not before then" I told her. She stood and walked around my desk and sat across my lap. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder and started running her fingers through my hair.

"I just want to forget it ever happened" she said leaning her head against my shoulder.

"Me too, but more than that I don't want it to happen again, so my main concern is letting them know we know and it isn't acceptable" I told her.

"How about this; if you find out that it was Queen Leah, why don't you hold a council meeting" she suggested. "Nearly everyone is going to be in town for the Christmas Ball, so call a meeting the day before the ball and you can address her there. You could tell she was embarrassed at the last council meeting when you called her out."

"That is a good idea. Keeps it private but still puts her in her place in front of her peers." I smiled at her. "How did you get so smart?" I teased. She shrugged one shoulder and brought her face to mine, kissing me softly.

"Are you going to be at school tomorrow?" she asked.

"I plan to be, though now that Thanksgiving is over and with the ball coming up I don't know if I will have a lot of free time" I told her.

"Well I will be around a lot the week before the ball because I will be helping Belle host all the guests that stay here at the castle, so we will get to see each other at least a little bit" she said smiling at me.

"I'm glad you are able to see a bright side in all of this" I told her. It wasn't long before my secretary, Debra, told me I had a call from King Naveen about the new school, so Mal told me to let her know when I heard anything from IT before she left to head back to her dorm.

* * *

I went to school the next day with no more news than I had the day before. I didn't get to see Mal until our Magical History class. She gave me a questioning look and I just shook my head. I waited for Mal at the door when class let out. I grabbed her hand as we walked out to the courtyard. All the tables were taken so we found a sunny patch of grass and sat down. It was getting pretty cold so the sun felt nice.

"Do you think it will snow soon?" Mal asked me, scooting closer to me to get warmer.

"I dunno. We had a day of snow around this time last year but the sky is clear right now" I said. She moved to sit between my legs, leaning back against me. I loved how comfortable she was with me now, even in public.

"You're always so warm" she said, tipping her head back to look at my face. I leaned down and kissed her lips briefly.

"I guess I get it from my dad. He runs hot too" I said.

"So you haven't heard from IT yet?" she asked, as she pulled out her salad and began to eat.

"Not yet" I said. I pulled out my phone to check my email. I scrolled through looking to see if there was one from IT and there it was. I clicked on it and read what it had to say.

"I knew it!" I said out loud.

"What?" Mal said between bites.

"I just got an email from IT. The IP addresses match Queen Leah's. They were able to match them exactly" I told her.

"What does that mean?" she asked, with a confused look.

"The email sent to the press comes from the same computer that Queen Leah emails me from using the same network, both IP addresses match which means she was at home when she sent it" I explained.

"How in the world did she know though?" she mused.

"I have no idea. I could always pull her phone records" I said. "Someone must have told her. You would think it would be Audrey, but she hasn't been here."

"I think you should just ask her. No need to make extra work for yourself by pulling and going over phone records. Besides they could be a dead end" she said to me.

"Ok. I guess I will schedule a council meeting then" I said.

* * *

_Mal's POV_

It was now Friday and time for my next magic lesson with Fairy Godmother. I was glad Ben told me about that anonymous email and that he was able to figure out who sent it. Now he had to schedule a council meeting and confront her. Better him than me I thought.

I made my way to the Magical History classroom once again. I knew Ben wouldn't be here this time. He was traveling to Towering Heights this weekend to check on the new school, which was due to be complete in the new year.

I walked into the classroom to find Fairy Godmother working on her computer. She looked up when she heard me enter.

"Good afternoon, Mal" she said smiling at me.

"Good afternoon" I replied. "What are we going to work on today?" I asked.

"I think we will just talk today. I would like to know what spells from your mothers spell book you used before putting it in the museum" she stated. "and if you can explain why you used them."

"Oh um ok" I said as I sat at the desk in front of her. "There was the hair spell. That one is self explanatory. Speed reading spell that I used to try to get through the book Belle gave me about becoming a Lady of the Court. A cooking spell I used for a date with Ben. A reversal spell that I used to reverse the cooking spell when Ben found out about it. A traveling spell which also let me through the barrier when I went back to the Isle before cotillion... I think that's it" I told her leaving out the spells I used to break into the museum when we first got here. She looked at me a little stunned.

"That isn't as much as I thought it might have been" she told me.

"Well I did do the hair spell a lot" I said with a little laugh.

"And have you made any potions to spell someone else?" she asked. I just looked at her. Should I tell her about the love potion? I kinda had a feeling that she already knew, so I felt like I didn't want to lie about it.

"Well I did make a love potion" I said timidly.

"I already guessed that, but why don't you tell me the whole story" she said.

"It wasn't long after we got here and you know how we were desperate to do what our parents told us to. Anyhow we were told you would be blessing Ben with your wand at his coronation. I asked Ben if we could be up front and he said that just his parents and girlfriend could be up there, so I made a love potion so that he would fall in love with me and I would be the girlfriend up front and I would be able to grab your wand. Things didn't quite go the way I planned because I started falling in love with Ben. Then I made an anti-love potion because I just felt like if the villains were going to take over it was just mean to have him still be in love with me, but it turns out the spell washed off in the Enchanted Lake on our first date and he knew about the love potion the whole time but he had real feelings for me. By the time the coronation started I was having mixed feelings and I didn't even know if I was going to go through with the plan" I said all of this in a rush. "You were there for the rest" I muttered and she just nodded her head.

"So the love potion and the anti-love potion are the only ones you have used?" she ask.

"Oh I did make Carlos a truth gummy. It was before him and Jane got together and he didn't have the nerve to tell her how he felt, but Dude ate it and that's why he can talk now" I said.

"And all the potions came from the spell book correct?" she asked.

"Yes" I answered.

"Ok well you haven't used as much magic as you could have I suppose" she said with a small smile. "This gives me a better idea what you are capable of."

"Oh! I just thought of something!" I exclaimed.

"What is it dear?" Fairy Godmother asked.

"The door locking spell was not the first spell that I came up with. The spell I used to defeat my mother was also my own. It took a lot for it to work though" I said looking at her.

"Your powers weren't as developed then. That spell may have been a break through for you though. Good magic is more powerful Than evil magic and that is why it worked even though it was hard" she said. I nodded. That made sense since the magical surges started not long after that.

"Well with the Christmas Ball coming up and school letting out for the holidays the next week, I think we can wait until the new year to meet again. Just practice summoning things silently" she suggested. "It might be a good idea if Ben wasn't around when you practice" she said with a grin and I couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

I spent the weekend working on homework and watching the Isle. It was Sunday evening and I was flipping through the channels on TV while Evie was busy working on the dresses for the ball.

"E our room is not big enough to hold four ball gowns" I said to tease her. I watched as she used a hand to flatten down all the tulle so she could see me over her work.

"Well I'm nearly done, thank goodness" she responded before her sewing machine began to buzz again. I just laughed. I couldn't wait to see my dress when it was done. So far all I had seen of it was the dark green fabric she had picked out.

My phone chimed with an incoming message. I turned and concentrated on it sitting on my bedside table. It swiftly moved, landing in my outstretched hand. I smiled to myself. This was getting easy I thought. I looked at my phone to see who was texting me and saw it was a message from Ben.

_**Hey baby, we just took off to head back home. I can't wait to see you at school tomorrow.**_

I quickly texted him back.

_**I can't wait to see you too. I miss you!**_

I didn't bank on getting any significant time with him this week. He already told me had several meetings this week. One with PR to actually arrange the press for the Christmas Ball. He also had to meet with his security team. There were going to be lots of royals in town so he wanted to make sure everyone was safe with Uma still on the loose.

_**Do you think you, Evie, Jay and Carlos can meet on Saturday to discuss our notes on the VKs?**_

I forgot that he wanted to meet again before Christmas, but why didn't he want to meet after the ball I wondered.

_**I can ask. Why not wait until after the ball?**_

"Hey E?" I called out to her and the buzzing stopped.

"Yeah?" she inquired.

"Are you free for a VK meeting with Ben Saturday?" I asked.

"That should be fine. I have plans to be at the castle anyway. Cinderella is coming that day and I am going to do her and Belle's final fitting" she said. "Let Ben know that I'm doing that in the morning." I nodded but then realized she couldn't see me.

"Ok, I'll let him know" I said. My phone buzzed with his reply.

_**I'm hoping to have time off to spend with my girlfriend after the ball. **_😘

His words made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

_**I can't wait for all this madness to die down, then maybe I can have you all to myself.**_😉

I stared at my phone waiting for his reply.

_**Oh really Lady Mal? And what do you plan to do with me?**_

I loved when he got flirty like this. I thought it would be fun to play along, so I decided to flirt back.

_**The real question is what do you plan to do with me? **_

I wondered how far he would go with this banter.

_**I plan to make you feel so good that all you can do is moan my name and beg for me.**_

I felt my skin begin to flush. I heard Evie's sewing machine stop again and she stood and hung up the dress she was working on and looked over at me and smirked.

"I take it you're talking to Ben" she said. I just nodded.

"What could he possibly be saying that has you blushing like that?" she questioned. I shook my head.

"Let's just say he's a smooth talker" I said grinning at her.

"Trying to talk you straight into his bed no doubt" she joked.

"I can only hope" I replied. Evie gave me a shocked look and I just laughed. I then texted my reply to Ben.

_**Evie says you are trying to talk me straight into your bed. (Don't worry I didn't tell her what you said)**_

"I can't believe you are over there sexting" Evie said to me right as Ben sent his reply.

_**Is it working?**_

"_I _am not sexting!" I said looking up at her.

"Fine. I can't believe Ben is sexting you then" she corrected.

"We aren't sexting. Nothing he has said has been that explicit" I said looking back at my phone to text him back.

_**Well to be honest it doesn't matter to me if it's your bed or mine, though your's is bigger**_.

"Oh yeah, what is he saying?" Evie asked.

"I just told him what you said about trying to talk me into his bed" I said trying to steer her away from what Ben was saying.

"And what did he say to that?" she asked. I sighed, well that didn't work I thought.

"He just asked if it was working" I murmured as Ben's reply came through.

_**It's not the only thing that's bigger.**_

"Ok maybe now he's sexting" I said with a giggle after reading his text.

_**Watch it Beast, you're turning me on.**_

Two could play at this game. I looked up at Evie who was giving me an incredulous look.

"What?" I inquired.

"I'm just shocked that's all" she said.

"Please, I'm sure you and Doug have shared a few risqué text messages" I shot back.

"Maybe" she said with a smirk.

_**I love it when you call me that.**_

_**I think it bodes well for me that I can turn you on with just a text.**_

_**Are you wet? **_

The next three messages came back to back. I couldn't believe he would ask that. Who am I kidding, the few times we have been intimate Ben has kinda been a talker, so of course he would ask I thought. Why lie to him.

_**Yes**_

"Do you need some alone time?" Evie teased. I just laughed.

"I think I can control myself. It would be a different story if he was here though" I said with a giggle.

"Never thought I would see the day when you would be sexting" she said.

"I mean is it really sexting if you've never had sex?" I asked.

"You've definitely done enough with him to sext" she informed me with a laugh.

_**How wet are you? **_💦

I shook my head as I read his text "Oh my god" I said, giggling again.

"I don't think I want to know" Evie said.

_**I can't very well find out with Evie here.**_

"I'm going to get a shower" Evie said collecting her things. "It won't matter if I use all the hot water because after you're done talking to Ben you are probably going to need a cold shower" she teased and I just stuck my tongue out at her.

_**I'm so hard thinking about how you taste.**_ 👅

_**Ben! Is your dad with you?**_

_**I'm in the bathroom.**_

_**Then you may want to take care of your problem. Just picture your hand as my hand, or better yet my mouth.**_

Evie was done with her shower in no time. Ben hadn't texted me back so I figured he was busy with his issue. I wanted Evie to help me with something.

_**I gotta run. I love **_

"E? I know it was 'movie night' when you and Doug did it for the first time" I started signing quotes as I spoke. "But did you plan it at all or did all just happen?" I asked her.

"I went into the date hoping it would happen, but I didn't actually plan it out. I think Doug was the same way. Why?" she asked.

"Well I want to be with Ben like that, but we are always so busy. I feel like maybe I should plan it" I stated.

"So just plan a date" she said.

"I want it to be special. Not like a regular date" I said to her. We both sat there thinking for a little while.

"I've got an idea!" Evie stated suddenly. Her idea was great and we spent the rest of the evening planning my perfectly sweet seduction of the King of Auradon.

* * *

**So Mal _is_ ready to take that final step with her king! Let's hope she can plan an awesome date. So Ben is going to call a council meeting. There will be a lot of royals and leaders in town. Do you guys want to know everyone who is in attendance? I know roughly who all I plan to have at the meeting and it is a lot! I can skim over attendance and let you know the number of people there or go through the whole attendance. Which would you like?**

**Reviews are love!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Let's meet a few new characters shall we. Reminder that I have not read the books or watched any of the animated series so any of the characters I use may differ from how they are portrayed in them. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

Jay, Carlos and I were just leaving the sandwich shop where we decided to have lunch before heading to the castle for our meeting with Ben. Evie was already there because she was doing a final dress fitting with Queen Cinderella and Belle.

We arrived at the castle and were met in the front hall by Lumiere, who took my bag from me. I was going to be spending the next week here at the castle to help Belle host some of the Royals who would be coming into town for the Christmas Ball. The first guests, Mulan and Li Shang, were due to arrive in the morning. Lonnie's brother Li Shang Jr. was unable to attend this year.

"Good afternoon Lady Mal, Jay, Carlos" Lumiere greeted us.

"Hey Lue. Are we meeting in the conference room again?" I asked him.

"Yes my lady" he said to me, so the boys and I headed in that direction.

Evie and Ben were already there waiting for us when we walked in. We sat down and got straight to work. We were able to cross a lot of names off all our lists. Ben, who didn't have a list of his own, just listened to what we had to say about all the kids. I wondered what he thought about all this. Even though he had been to the Isle, he spent less than twenty four hours there and was trapped on Uma's ship for most of that, so he didn't really get to see how things actually were. Now he was getting to see how daily life went on the Isle. Of course he wasn't seeing the worst of it because the surveillance was aimed at the kids, so what the adults did wasn't really shown and they all knew there were cameras, so I'm sure the worst things were happening behind closed doors or in dark back alleys. By the end of the meeting we all agreed to keep an eye on about twelve kids. That was a lot of progress I thought.

Evie and the boys left, stating they would see us at school on Monday. I walked back to Ben's office with him closing the door behind me. Ben walked over to sit behind his desk, setting his computer down on it. I just watched him for a few minutes as he typed and then just watched something on his computer. I figured he was logged into the cameras.

"Tell me what you think of it" I inquired as I walked over and sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"What?" he asked, looking up at me. I could tell he wasn't sure what I was talking about.

"The Isle. What do you think now that you are able to see it more?" I clarified. He sighed as he sat back in his seat, slouching slightly and leaning on his right elbow, bringing his hand to his face as he thought how to answer me. As he sat there thinking, I noticed how tired he looked. He was running out of steam I thought.

"I know the Isle is suppose to be undesirable. The point of it was to imprison the villains, but..." he trailed off.

"But?" I urged him to continue.

"I don't like seeing kids live like that" he said.

"Ben.." I began. He stood and walked around his desk to stand in front of me. He leaned his hands back against it, resting his backside on it and crossed his ankles.

"Ben, that is the point of what you're doing right? Giving kids from the Isle a chance so they don't have to live like that" I said looking straight at him. He sighed.

"I just wish that their life never had to be like that. That your life never had to be like that" he said. There it was. The crux of how he felt. He was feeling guilty about how I had lived before coming here. I stood up and stepped up to him placing my hands on his chest.

"It's not as bad as it seems when you are actually living it, trust me" I told him, trying to alleviate his guilt. "I know that a lot of the kids don't deserve to have to live like that, but some of them don't have any good intentions" I said running my hands up and down on his chest. He just looked at me questioningly.

"Your parents sent all the villains to the Isle because of the crimes they committed and to keep those who are good safe. It was the best choice at the time. No one knew that children would be born, but I guess that happens when you no longer have powers and find you have things in common with those around you. Even if those things are evil" I said. I wanted him to understand how things really are. "Yes some of the villains settled down quite a bit, having given up, but there are still some who are vengeful and their children are also vengeful because that's all they know. I mean just look at how I was when I first came and look at Harry Hook. He wanted nothing more than to hurt you" I said thinking back to when they had him on Uma's ship. A shiver ran through me thinking about it. Ben noticed and lifted a hand to my face.

"You saved me and we got away unscathed" he said to me, now trying to reassure me. "You chose to be good" he said.

"Because I fell in love with this really cute boy" I flirted, smiling at him.

"Oh yeah? Anyone I know?" he flirted back. I giggled, glad I was able to shift his mood.

"I think you may have heard of him" I said softly as I leaned in tipping my face up to push my lips to his. I kissed him softly. His hand slid around my waist pulling my body flush against his. The hand he had on my face slid back into my hair, using it to guide the kiss as he slipped his tongue past my lips taking control of the kiss. Oh how I loved when he got dominate like this. Letting his want for me take over. He usually let me set the pace. A shiver of want ran through me has he nipped my bottom lip before he pulled his lips from mine. He used his hand in my hair to tip my head back slightly and pressed his lips to my neck just under my jaw. I moaned out at the sensation. I was in no hurry to stop, but alas, there was knock at the door. I could have screamed in that moment. Ben growled in frustration and I took a small step back breaking our contact.

"You're going to have to answer the door because I need to sit down" he said, breathing in deeply. I knit my brow in confusion and he just motioned to the fact that he was turned on. I nodded and moved toward the door while Ben went to sit back behind his desk, tugging his pants before he sat down.

I opened the door to find Belle standing there. She smiled at me.

"Hey Belle" I said smiling at her.

"Good afternoon" she said giving me a knowing sort of smile. I must have looked like I had been thoroughly kissed, which I had. "I was just looking for you. We need to go over room arrangements before our first guest arrive tomorrow" she told me.

"Ok. Ben and I were just discussing our meeting about the new VKs" I said looking back over at Ben who was leaning forward with his elbows on his desk.

"Ok well I will let you two finish. Can you meet me in the sitting room in ten minutes?" she asked.

"Of course" I said giving her an innocent smile. She turned and headed in the direction of the sitting room and I closed the door behind her. Ben just dropped his head on his desk and I laughed. I walked over to him and ran my hand across his back and shoulders.

"I know this is frustrating, but just think, only one more week and then things will die down and I'm sure we will get some uninterrupted time together" I said.

"Yeah. It was probably for the best anyhow because I forgot to turn off the cameras in here" he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Oh! Who see's that?" I asked feeling a little embarrassed that someone may have seen us. Even though nothing too scandalous happen, it could have.

"Just Prescott, my head of security. We didn't go too far but I can delete the file. The feed is live, so if he saw it there is nothing I can do. I will just have to endure his teasing probably" he said with a shrug.

"Well I better go meet with your mom. I will see you at dinner" I said and leaned down to give him a quick kiss before I made my way to the door.

"Hey Mal" he called.

"Yeah?" I stopped and turn to him.

"I love you" he said with a smile.

"I love you too" I said, smiling back at him before I headed out to the sitting room.

* * *

I stepped into the sitting room and saw Belle sitting on the couch with her feet tucked under her, reading a book. It wasn't uncommon to find her like this.

"Less than ten minutes and you're already lost in a book" I teased coming in and sitting beside her on the couch. She just giggled and placed her bookmark in her book and set it down on the coffee table. "

"So room arrangements" I said to her.

"Yes" she said grabbing her phone and scrolling through it. I guess all her notes were on it. "So I think Aladdin, Jasmine, Aziz, Genie and Jordan will be staying in the suite that you usually stay in" she said, still looking at her phone.

"Ok. Where will I be staying?" I asked. I had assumed I would be in the suite, but I guess that would leave an empty bedroom and it would be strange for me to share with someone I wasn't close with.

"You will stay in the guest room next door to Ben's room. It is not technically suppose to be a guest bedroom considering it is next to the King's room and has an conjoining door." she said. I looked at her confused. Why was there a room attached to Ben's?

"This in an old castle. Back in the day Kings and Queens had their own rooms that shared a conjoining door so that they could...um...spend time together" she said with a smirk, answering my confused look.

"So I will be staying in a room that is meant for his queen and has a door that opens to his room?" I asked, a little overwhelmed by this information.

"Yes but don't get any idea's" she said giving me a knowing look. "I have it arranged so that Lonnie will be staying with you. Her parents will be staying in the other guest room down the hall."

"That's fine" I said giving her a small smile. I wonder if she thinks Ben and I are sleeping together now? I mean I didn't come out and tell her we weren't on Thanksgiving. I figured she would assume we weren't. "You know that Ben and I haven't... you know...done it yet, right?" I asked. I didn't want her thinking we had.

"I figured you hadn't" she said to me. "I don't expect you to tell me one way or the other when it does happen dear, but just remember I'm here if you ever do want to talk about it" she said patting my leg. "Now as for Queen Ariel and King Eric, they will stay in one of the guest rooms in the west wing and Queen Tiana and King Naveen will stay in the other" she went on as if talking about Ben and I having sex one day was of no consequence. I loved how laid back Belle was. It made her easy to talk to.

"Who will be staying in the west wing suite?" I asked.

"I think it would work best to put Zeus and his family in the suite" she said looking back down at her phone. "I tried to give the larger parties the suites" she said. I grabbed my phone to pull up the guest list that she sent me a couple days ago.

"Is that everyone who will be staying here at the castle? I asked.

"Yes. I've already called the Auradon Grand and made sure that there are enough rooms reserved for the other royals who are flying in" she said.

"So Queen Cinderella and King Charming, Queen Rapunzel and King Eugene, and Queen Aurora, King Phillip and Queen Leah are the only ones traveling to and from on the day of the ball and aren't staying right?" I asked.

"I believe so" she said looking up at me. "Thank you so much for staying and helping me host this week. Adam was never really helpful and Ben was too young. All Adam would do is hang out with the guys. I know once Aladdin get's here I will hardly see him" she said with a giggle.

"Oh maybe we can arrange a girls night and guys night for the guest staying in the castle" I suggested excitedly as the idea came to me.

"That sounds like a fun idea" Belle said looking back at her phone. "So everyone staying here will all be here by Wednesday and I know that Ben mentioned having a council meeting on Friday afternoon" she said looking at the calendar on her phone. "So Thursday evening is the only free night. Shall we plan it for then?" she asked looking up at me.

"That works for me" I said smiling at her. Just then Adam walked into the room.

"Hey! Are you guys working out ball details or am I interrupting girl talk?" he asked teasingly.

"Actually you have perfect timing. Mal had an idea that we should do a girls night and guys night, while we had so many guest staying with us. Does that sound good to you?" she asked him as he walked over and leaned down to peck her lips then plopped down in the arm chair closest to her.

"I'm always down with guys night. I never get to just hang out with my friends" he said. "When would we be doing this? Remember we have a council meeting on Friday." he said.

"Yes I know, that is why we decided on Thursday" she said.

"Great" he said. "So do you ladies need any help with anything?" he asked us. The look on his face made me think that he hoped we didn't.

"Not really but I would be grateful if you sent a text to Li Shang, Eric, Naveen, Aladdin and Zeus and told them about guys night. That way you guys can plan whatever you want to do. Oh and tell Ben too" she told him.

"We can do whatever we want?" Adam asked looking more excited by the minute.

"Well not whatever you want. Remember that Ben and Aziz are still under age so no bars or nightclubs" she said pointing a finger at him. "I know Ben is king and no one would tell him no but he has a reputation to uphold and like you said we have a council meeting Friday and it wouldn't do for all of you to be hung over at it" she said in an authoritative tone. I tried not to laugh. I guess I know who wears the pants in that relationship.

"Ok I'm sure we can come up with something that is innocent enough" he said putting his hands up in defeat. "I'll text everyone now" he said standing up. "I'll leave you ladies to finish your planning."

I looked at Belle and we both just started to laugh uncontrollably. I took a deep breath trying to compose myself.

"You are going to have to teach me how to do that" I said, a few giggles still escaping me.

"Don't worry, after you get married it comes naturally" she said still giggling herself.

"Why is that?" I asked, my head instantly picturing myself marrying Ben.

"Because you have what they want. You _always_ have what they want" she said winking at me so that I would catch on and I did.

"Oh" I said and we were thrown into another fit of giggles.

* * *

I only saw Ben again at dinner, where he asked me if I could join them at the council meeting since the topic of the meeting revolved around him and I. I agreed even though I was nervous about it. I hated confrontation now. To think there was a time when I thrived on it.

The next morning Lonnie came over from the dorms. She wanted to be there when her parents arrived.

"It's kind of weird staying in a room that is attached to Ben's" she said looking at the door that joins our room with his as she unpacked her bag. I just laughed and she looked over at me. "Well I guess it's not weird for you" she teased. "I wonder if Belle put me with you so there won't be any hanky panky going on with you and Ben" she said in a teasing sort of voice. I laughed again.

"Would you tell on me if I were to sneak into his room?" I asked.

"No but that would be super awkward" she said with her eyebrows raised which made me giggle.

"Don't worry. I would never do that. It would definitely be awkward" I said as I silently spelled my water bottle to me from the desk across the room.

"Whoa!" Lonnie said, shock written plainly on her face.

"Oh yeah. Fairy Godmother told me to practice my summoning spell silently. I can now summon things from clear across the room without saying anything" I told her.

"That is so cool! Can you summon things for other people?" she asked.

"I don't know, I've never tried" I thought for a minute and figured I could change the words around in my spell and see if it would work. "Let's try. What do you want to come to you?" I asked. She looked around.

"How about my phone" she suggested, pointing at her phone that was laying on the desk next to where my water had been.

"Ok hold out your hand" I told her. "To Lonnie's hand you shall fly, Lonnie's cell phone now comply" I chanted with a small wave of my hand. Her phone floated straight to her hand and she clapped with excitement. To be honest I was excited too. I wondered if I could do it silently. "Put it back on the desk and let me try to see if I can do it silently" I said excitedly.

Lonnie skipped over and put it back before coming back to stand by her bed and held her hand out again. I turned my attention back to her phone and just as I was beginning to think of the spell in my head there was a quick knock on the door that opened because it wasn't closed all the way. Ben stood in the door way and as my focus shifted to him I watched as he seemed to be pulled against his will. I felt him crash into me. It was a good thing I was sitting on my bed or we would have tumbled to the ground. As it was, Ben was now on top of me on my bed and Lonnie was dying laughing which made me laugh too.

"Hey" Ben said looking down at me.

"Hey. Sorry. Are you ok?" I asked him placing my hands on his chest.

"I could be worse" he teased, smiling at me.

"Well since your here" I said leaning up the few inches and pressing my lips to his.

"Ahem. I'm still here!" we heard Lonnie say breaking us apart.

Ben chuckled and lifted himself off of me. I felt almost cold when he pulled away.

"You were practicing summoning I take it" he said to me.

"Yes and you distracted me again" I said to him.

"So this has happened before?" Lonnie asked.

"Yes when I first came up with the spell I was summoning a jar of pencils. It worked fine verbally, so Fairy Godmother wanted me to try silently. While I was trying, Ben caught my attention and I looked over at him and his chair flew right into mine" I said smiling at Ben who just smiled back. "The thing is I couldn't even summon the pencils silently, but Ben few over so quickly. Fairy Godmother said it was because my magic is emotionally motivated and I'm emotionally attached to him so I will always be able to summon him" I explained. Lonnie just nodded her head.

"Sorry again babe. I didn't mean to" I said looking at Ben.

"My feet tend to always want to move in your direction, so nothing new except for having absolutely no control over it" he said which made us all laugh. "Anyhow I came to tell you guys that Mulan and Li Shang will be here soon" he told us.

"Ok but I want to practice this spell real quick" I said to him. He knit his brow.

"I thought you had the summoning spell down?" he asked questioningly.

"I do, but now I am summoning to other people. Well just Lonnie so far and it work perfectly verbally" I informed him.

"Ok lets see it" he said crossing his arms.

"OK will you move over by Lonnie so you are out of my line of sight please?" I asked him.

"Don't stand behind me though. I don't want you running me over if you go flying into her again" she said with a giggle. He smirked as he moved to stand on the other side of her. I turned my focus back to her phone when Lonnie reached her hand out. I said the spell in my head and was surprised when the phone once again floated straight to her hand.

"I can't believe it worked on the first try!" I exclaimed. "I have to text Fairy Godmother" I said excitedly. Ben chuckled.

"That will have to wait. You have to play host" he said reaching his hand out to me to pull me from the room and we headed down stairs to meet our guests when they arrived.

* * *

Aladdin, Jasmine, Az, Genie and his daughter Jordan arrived on Monday afternoon. I met Jordan at school last year, but she decided to home school this year. We never really hung out or anything, but she seemed nice enough.

Queen Tiana, King Naveen, Queen Ariel and King Eric all arrived on Tuesday afternoon. I had never seen the castle so busy. I had never been so busy. I only got to see Ben briefly when a guest would arrive and at dinner time. He wasn't attending classes this week due to all the royals coming into town. If I thought I was busy, it was probably nothing compared to what he has on his plate.

It was now Wednesday and Zeus and his family were going to be coming in this afternoon. I had never met any of them before. We didn't get as north as Olympus on or tour over the summer. Belle told me that Zeus was very fun-loving and kind. I was looking forward to meeting them. They were all technically my family but no one knew that and I had no plans to tell anyone. My father and I had nothing to do with each other so it was easier to pretend I didn't have a dad.

Ben came to my room to get me when it was time to go down stairs to greet Zeus and his family. All the greetings so far had been formal but relaxed. I stood second in line, which was so strange because Belle and Adam both out ranked me, but Ben wanted me by his side so I stood between Ben and Belle as we greeted guests.

I heard Zeus before I saw him. He was commenting on how festive the Christmas garlands and wreaths were that were hung on the outside of the castle. He stepped in with a bright smile on his face. He must have been the largest man I had ever seen. He had Gaston beat by a mile.

"Ben my boy" he said reaching for Ben's hand to shake. "I guess you aren't much of a boy anymore" he said with a chuckle and pulled Ben in for one of those one arm man hugs, then remembering to follow royal protocol, he bowed to Ben.

"I guess I've grown a bit since I last saw you" Ben said smiling at him. Zeus turned his head and smiled at me.

"This must be Lady Mal" he said with a toothy smile. He stepped over to me and took my hand, placing a kiss on the back of it. "You are even more lovely than I was told." He was a charmer I thought.

"Thank you. It is so nice to meet you finally" I said smiling back at him.

"The pleasure is mine" he said before turning his charms over to Belle.

I was then greeted by his wife, Hera. I gave her a small curtsy when she stepped in front of me and she curtsied back.

"Don't mind him, he is friendly to nearly everyone and could charm the bark off a tree" she joked and we both giggled.

"It's lovely to meet you" I said.

"Likewise" she said with a smile before stepping over to Belle.

Hercules was next and like his father he was a large man. Not quite as large as Zeus, but I think he was also larger than Gaston.

"Lady Mal, how nice to finally meet you" he said taking my hand and placing a kiss on it like his father had.

"It is nice to meet you as well Hercules" I said with a smile.

Megara was next in line and pulled me into a hug when she got to me.

"I have been dying to meet you" she said smiling as she pulled away from me.

"It is lovely to meet you Lady Megara" I said.

"Please call me Meg. I can't wait to get to know you better. I'm sure you have some stories to tell" she said squeezing my hands.

Meg and Hercules son, Herkie, was last to greet us. I looked over as he was stepping away from Ben. Like his father and grandfather, he had a large build. Ben had told me he played tourney professionally. He was quite handsome, with tan skin, golden brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was soft spoken as he greeted me. I felt Ben shift beside me as Herkie took my hand, then I felt Ben's hand begin to stroke my lower back.

"Lady Mal" is all he said before he kissed the back of my hand. I felt Ben's hand flex against my back. "It is an honor to finally meet you." He seemed to be just as charming as his father and grandfather.

"It is nice to meet you as well" I said with a smile. Ben's hand went back to stroking my back and I looked at him wondering why he was suddenly touching me. He hadn't felt the need to make contact before now while greeting any of our guests. I looked up at him as Herkie stepped over to greet Belle. He gave me a tight smile and pulled me into his side before looking back over at Herkie. Then it clicked. Ben was feeling a little possessive and quite possibly jealous. I felt the need to put him at ease. I lifted up on my toes and whispered in his ear.

"Don't worry. He's not my type" I said to him. He grinned and leaned down to whisper back.

"You don't have a type. I'm the only guy you have ever dated" he said.

"Of course I have a type" I whispered back before I let my eyes run up and down him. "It's just very singular" I said with a smirk and his grin turned into a full fledged smile.

* * *

**I think we may see a little more jealous Ben but it won't cause any drama (I don't think). Ok so the council meeting will have the full council minus 2 people. What I want to know is if you want me to actually name every character in attendance? There will be 31 council members there plus Mal. I do not have a problem listing them all as I know I would be interested to know who is attendance, but like I said it's a lot of people. Let me know.**

**Reviews are love!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: This is just a short chapter before the big meeting. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Mal' POV_

I was rushing to catch up to Lonnie. I got my art project back today and had to run to my dorm to put it away before heading back to the castle. I didn't want anyone to see it yet because it was going to be a Christmas present for Adam and Belle. Mr. Sneed wanted to put it in the holiday art exhibit this year but I begged him not to and told him I wanted it to be a gift. We made full marks on it which solidified my A in that class for the semester.

"I wonder what the guys are going to do tonight" Lonnie mused as we rode back to the castle after school. Tonight we were having ladies night and the guys were going to have guys night. I hadn't got a lot of time to talk to Ben since everyone started arriving. I was still going to classes during the day then hosting when I got back in the afternoon. It was mostly making sure everyone had what they needed and keeping them entertained.

"I have no idea. I haven't really gotten to talk to Ben to see what they have planned" I said to her as the limo pulled up to the castle.

"Well, I'm excited to go get pampered" Lonnie said smiling at me as we made our way inside. We had decided to treat the ladies to an afternoon at the spa. I had ulterior motives for suggesting we go to the spa. I wanted to freshen up, not only for the ball on Saturday, but for my date plans I was making for next week with Ben.

Lonnie and I went up to our room to get changed. Belle told us that all the ladies were going to meet in the front hall at four, so we had twenty minutes to change and head down stairs. I looked over at the door that connects our room to Ben's room. I wonder what they are going to be doing? I was missing Ben even though he was sleeping in the room next door every night. I had the thought to just bow out of ladies night and text Ben and ask him to skip hanging out with the guys so we can have some time together without anyone here. I knew he would do it without a thought, but I knew that I couldn't. Belle was depending on me and this was my idea after all.

I sighed and looked over at Lonnie who was grabbing her bag. "Are you ready?" I asked her grabbing my bag also.

"Yep. Let's go" she said smiling at me.

We headed down stairs and to my surprise Queen Aurora was there with none other than Audrey. Anxelin and Ruby were also with them. Belle must have noticed my surprise.

"Hey" she said as I approached. "I invited Aurora and the girls to come along" she said with a smile. "Rapunzel said she is having a date night with Eugene so she passed on coming, but Anxelin and Ruby were able to make it."

"That's great" I said. "The more the merrier" I said with a smile.

"Mal!" Ruby exclaimed, coming up and hugging me when she noticed I was there.

"Hey Ruby" I said hugging her back.

"Oh and Evie is going to meet us at the spa. She said she wanted to run back to the dorm to put some final touches on your dress so you can have your final fitting" Belle told me.

"Evie's coming too?" I asked and she nodded. Well it will be much easier to deal with Audrey and Anxelin with Evie there.

We all headed out to the spa. Belle was able to book the spa out so that our party were the only customers. We broke off into groups and changed into our robes to begin the pampering process. Audrey, Anxelin, Evie, Lonnie, Jordan, Ruby and I started with pedicures and manicures, while Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Hera, Aurora, Mulan, Tiana, and Meg went for messages and waxing.

"Does anyone know what the guys are doing tonight?" I asked as I sat down placing my feet in the warm water.

"Father said they were going to catch a tourney game that is being played tonight" Jordan said. Well that seemed innocent enough like Adam said. "Hey doesn't Hercules' son, Herkie, play tourney?" she asked.

"Yes. Ben said he plays professionally" I answered her.

"He is really nice to look at" Jordan said with a far away look on her face.

"Isn't he though. If I wasn't taken I would jump all over that" Lonnie commented. I couldn't help but laugh.

"I guess he's ok, if brawny is your type" I said shrugging my shoulders. Everybody giggled.

"Too much muscle in my opinion. A nice athletic build is far more attractive" Audrey said. I knew she was thinking of a certain king's athletic build. It made me wonder if she has ever seen him shirtless. I would think if they ever went swimming together she must have.

"So Ruby do you have a guy?" Evie asked. I knew Evie would take to Ruby.

"No but there is a this guy that I met recently that I kinda liked, but he is older than me and lives so far away" she said. "I don't think he even gave me a second look though" she said with a sad look on her face.

"Don't sweat it. There will be plenty of guys at the ball, I'm sure" Jordan said. "Just don't make any passes at Herkie. I think I might take a shot there" she said with a mischievous smile and we all laughed again.

"Have you picked a day yet Mal?" Evie asked smiling at me.

"A day for what?" Lonnie asked.

"I am trying to arrange a date with Ben next week, when all the excitement from the ball dies down" I said. "We haven't been able to spend a lot of time together cause we are so busy."

"Some relationship that must be" Audrey said snidely. I chose to ignore her. She doesn't know what my relationship is like with Ben. I don't even think she knows what it's like to be in love.

"Not yet. The sooner the better, but I figured I would wait until after the ball to work out which day would work best." I answered.

"I can't imagine not being able to spend time with Jay" Lonnie commented.

"The worst part is getting interrupted when we do find a moment to be together" I said with a sigh.

"Hey, I said I was sorry" Evie said.

"Don't worry you aren't the only one" I told her with a chuckle.

"Jane and I have worked out a system with Carlos and Jay where we have dates at the same time, so walking in while one of us is with with our guy doesn't happen" Lonnie said.

"That would work for us if I got to spend as much time with Ben as you guys get to spend with Doug and Jay. Luckily Doug has his own dorm so Evie spends her time with him there" I said smiling at Evie.

"Doesn't Ben have his own dorm room?" Anxelin asked.

"He does" Audrey said with a smirk like it was something only she knew about. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Had she spent time with Ben in his dorm? I kinda didn't think so from the way Ben described how things were when he was with Audrey. I think she just wanted me to think that they had spent alone time there. I will confirm with Ben before my date. There is no way I wanted to seduce him in the room that he use to go to to be alone with her.

"Yes but he hasn't really used it since he became king. All his business is done from the castle so he stays there" I informed them. I watched the smirk die on Audrey's face. She wasn't privy to how things work with Ben now and it probably bothered her that I was.

"Lonnie you never told us how your parents reacted to you dating a VK" Evie inquired turning to look at Lonnie.

"Well I told them what Jay did when I wanted to join ROAR before we actually became a couple so they kinda already liked him. Jay is my first serious boyfriend so my mom gave me the sex talk the other night after my date with Jay Sunday afternoon. It was so awkward" she said with an exasperated look and we all giggled.

"Belle gave Mal the sex talk" Evie said between giggles.

"I couldn't even imagine getting the talk from the guys mom!" Jordan exclaimed.

"Hey it wasn't that bad. Belle is like a mom to me and she is easy to talk to. I don't know if I would ever go into detail about what may happen between Ben and I though" I said. "At least I have someone who can answer my questions and give me advice if I need it." Audrey just crossed her arms over her chest but said nothing. I wonder if she knew that Belle didn't really like her as far as being with Ben went.

"So are you and Jay serious enough to have needed the sex talk?" I asked Lonnie steering the conversation away from me. She shrugged her shoulders and tried not to smile. I could tell by the look on her face that if they hadn't already done it , they were heading in that direction. I just smiled at her but didn't push the issue. All this talk about the guys was making me miss Ben. I pulled out my phone to text him while my feet where being massaged.

_**Hey baby. I miss you.**_

I didn't know if he would text me back or not. I didn't even know what time this tourney game they were going to started.

_**Hey beautiful! I miss you too**_.

A smile spread across my face. I loved when he called me beautiful. He made me feel beautiful.

_**Jordan said you guys are going to a tourney game.**_

"Texting Ben again?" Evie asked wagging her eyebrows at me.

"Yes and it's not like that" I said giving Evie a look.

"Not like what?" Ruby asked.

"Mal and Ben were sexting the other day" Evie said with a giggle.

"Evie!" I exclaimed. "We were not sexting! Ben was just being flirty" I said trying to bring an end to this conversation.

_**We are. Should be fun. I haven't gotten to see a game live in a while.**_

_**So what are you ladies doing tonight?**_

I looked back at my phone as the second text came through.

_**We are at the spa. Getting massages, facials, waxing, and mani/pedis**_

"You can always tell when Mal is texting Ben" Evie said. I looked up from my phone to look at her.

"And how is that?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"You smile the whole time and from time to time your face gets all flushed" she said. Well I couldn't argue there.

"Well Ben makes me happy " I said. Ruby, Lonnie and Jordan gave a collective 'awww', which made me giggle. I watched as Audrey just rolled her eyes before she started complaining to the pedicurist that she wasn't doing it right. My phone chimed with another text.

_**So are you getting waxed? And if so, are we talking like everywhere?**_

I laughed out loud at his text and everyone looked at me.

"What's he saying?" Lonnie asked.

"I just told him what we are doing and he was asking about waxing" I said, still smiling not telling them exactly what he was asking.

"Guys have it made. They don't have to go through the torture we go through to look good" Jordan said.

"We should wax the guys one day and give them a taste of what it's like" Evie said.

"Ben doesn't have a lot of body hair" I said nonchalantly, looking at my phone. It went quiet and I could feel all their eyes on me. I looked up at them not understanding what was going on. Audrey had a scandalized look on her face.

"And how would you know that Ben doesn't have a lot of body hair?" Lonnie inquired.

"Yes Mal, do tell us how you know" Evie said, teasing me. She knew good and well how I knew, but I wasn't going to tell my business to everyone here at the spa. Especially Audrey and Anxelin. I felt my face heat up but thought of a good answer.

"We have gone swimming together. He doesn't exactly swim with all his clothes on" I said in a tone that made it seem like that is obviously how I knew. Evie smirked at me but didn't push it. I turned my attention back to my phone and the girls continued to talk about how funny watching the boys get waxed would be.

_**Yes I'm getting waxed **_😉

I figured if I sent a winking emoji, I wouldn't really have to say what all I was having done.

_**I think I may have to steal you away tonight and see for myself**_. 😋

I laughed. I was going to have to burst his bubble though.

_**Sorry to break it to you but I have to wait 12 to 24 hours before any kind of frictional contact.**_

I could picture his pouty face. Especially with how much we have been interrupted lately. It was getting so frustrating.

😥 _**Why?**_

I giggled at his emoji.

_**My skin will be a little sensitive. All the hair is essentially being ripped out lol**_

_**By the way Evie thinks we should wax you and the other guys so that you can appreciate the pain we go through to look good for you**_

"I told Ben you think we should wax them" I said to Evie.

"And what did he have to say to that?" she asked just as his text came through.

_**I'll**** pass thank you, but I can show you in other ways how much I appreciate you **_😛

"He said he'll pass" I said with a giggle.

"I'm sure that's not all he said" she said giving me a knowing look as she giggled herself. I watched as Audrey rolled her eyes again.

"Ben would never have been so inappropriate when we were together" she said jauntily.

"He isn't being inappropriate. He's being flirty. I'm guessing he didn't flirt with you that much?" I questioned with my eyebrows raised. She huffed.

"Ben was always the perfect gentleman!" she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"And he still is. We have been in a relationship for over a year and Ben has never been inappropriate but he does know how to make me feel wanted and loved" I said. That shut her up. Her remark reminded me to ask Ben about his dorm.

_**Did you ever spend alone time with Audrey in your dorm?**_

The question probably seemed like it was coming out of left field to him.

_**No. She didn't spend any time in my dorm at all. Why do you ask?**_

I knew it. She was trying to make me jealous.

_**She just insinuated that she spent time with you there**_

My pedicure was almost finished and I was about to have my finger nails done.

_**Audrey is with you guys?**_

I forgot that he didn't know she was there.

_**Yes. **__**I have to go about to get my fingernails done. I love you**_

I texted him real quick before I placed my hand on the table next to my chair so that the nail technician can start.

_**I hope she is being nice. I love you too**_

* * *

_Ben's POV_

Mal didn't text me back, but I didn't really expect her to. She was at girls night after all. It was sweet that she even texted me at all. I was missing her even though she was staying with us. Weird how you can miss someone who is literally like a hundred feet away from you every night. I couldn't wait for the ball to be over. After the council meeting tomorrow, I didn't have any meetings scheduled until after the new year and I was nearly caught up on on the paperwork and filing.

I am pretty sure that Mal wants to take that last step and I was more than ready. I have had a hard time thinking of anything else since Halloween. It was getting so frustrating getting interrupted constantly. We were going to have to figure something out.

Every time I looked at her I felt like I was falling even more in love with her and it wasn't just the physical part that made me feel this way. I loved to just hear her talk. I loved to hear her talk about things she is passionate about. I loved that she always wanted to know how I felt about things. I loved that she was so patient with me. She has been the most perfect Lady of the Court and her and my mom had bonded in a way that I never thought possible. My parents loved her. She even puts up with Audrey and does it with grace, never letting Audrey bait her into doing things she would have done only a couple years ago. Mal would make an amazing queen one day I thought.

"Auradon to Ben" I heard Chad call out.

"Penny for your thoughts" Az said, from the seat next to me. We were in the limo an our way to the game.

"Just thinking about Mal" I said and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.

"You are a lucky guy. Lady Mal is very beautiful" Herkie said. I just nodded, not sure what to say as a wave of jealousy hit me. I just thought about what Mal told me last night. I have never seen Mal show interest in anyone before, but I knew Herkie had a reputation for turning heads.

"She is beautiful, but not only that she's smart, and brave, and kind, and it has been so wonderful watching her fall in love with Auradon" I said letting the feeling of my love for Mal wash over me.

"If only we could all be so lucky" Az said slapping me on the Back.

"I look forward to getting to know her better. She sounds wonderful" Zeus said smiling at me.

"She is" my dad said. "Belle and I adore her." Dad smiled over at me. It meant a lot that my parents didn't just approve of Mal, they accepted her as if she was family.

"I think Mal and Evie, both, have filled a void with mom. They are the daughters she always wanted" I said with a chuckle. My dad just gave a knowing nod.

We pulled up to the arena.

"Let's get this guys night started" Aladdin said.

It may have been guys night, but I spent nearly the whole night thinking about Mal.

* * *

**Some cute Bal! The big meeting is next.**

**Reviews are love!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here is the long awaited council meeting. Let's see how Ben handles things. (I didn't list the full council in the story but you can find the list at the end of the chapter.) Good news: I have already started writing Mal's date and it's 2 chapters long 😀. Bad news: it's a few chapters away still (20&21)😔. I will however be updating often so you won't have to wait too long. Happy Reading!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I was a little nervous for the council meeting today. It was scheduled to start in twenty minutes and Ben texted me while I was still at school and said that he would like me to meet him in the conference room fifteen minutes before the meeting was due to start. I stepped into the conference room and noticed that a lot of chairs had been placed along the walls. Ben was sitting at the head of the table and noticed me looking at all the chairs.

"We will have more in attendance than we usually do. King Triton and King Arthur will be the only ones not here" he said to me, as he stood up and walked over to me. He reached up cupping my face bringing my lips to his. The kiss was slow and loving. He pulled back and just looked at me.

"Hi" he said with a smile.

"Hi" I said back, taking a breath. How did he make me feel like this? Like I was the best part of his day. He was definitely the best part of mine! "Why did you want me to come early?" I asked, trying to compose myself.

"Usually I am already here before the other council members arrive. I was late last meeting because I was talking to Fairy Godmother about the cameras on the Isle" he said giving me a smile. "I wanted you and I to be a united front, so I thought it would look better if you were also here when everyone arrives. When you come to council meetings you will always sit to my right while my parents sit to my left" he said motioning to my seat. We both walked to our seats and sat down.

"Gosh, there is going to be so many people in here today" I said looking around again.

"I'm hoping that will work in our favor" Ben said as he looked at something on his computer. "Lots of witnesses" he said with a chuckle. He pushed a button and a screen slowly lowered from the ceiling behind him.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"Presentation. I will be exhibiting the email on it. Make her squirm a little" he said with a smirk.

"When did you get so ruthless?" I said with a laugh.

"She did something to intentionally hurt me, but worse than that she hurt you" he said, completely serious. I reached over and grabbed his hand.

"I didn't know it bothered you that much" I said softly.

"I'm a forgiving person, but I want her to be made aware that this type of thing is not acceptable" he said. I nodded squeezing his hand. He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

"I love you" he said his voice soft with emotion.

"And I love you" I said back as I looked into his eyes.

The moment was broken when Belle and Adam walked in.

"This is going to be the largest council meeting since your coronation" Adam said sitting down next to Ben.

"This was kind of Mal's idea. She wants to put this behind us and not hash it out in the public eye, but knowing how Queen Leah is, calling her out in front of her peers is as good a consequence as any public statement or apology would be" Ben said. Adam laughed and we all looked at him.

"This is going to be far worse for her than a public apology. She is going to actually have to sit here in front of everyone. If she were to do a public apology it would be something she prerecords in her sitting room to be aired on TV. Plus she could think about what she wanted to say and twist it to make herself not look so bad. She won't be able to do that here. She will be put on the spot" he said as another chuckle escaped him. "This is going to be fun" he said. Belle swatted him with the back of her hand but you could tell she was trying not to smile.

"So no one knows the reason for this meeting but us right?" Belle asked. I guess Ben had filled Belle in on everything.

"Nope. The summons was simply for an emergency meeting" Ben said.

"I won't have to speak will I?" I asked, suddenly feeling panic struck that maybe I was going to have to address Queen Leah also.

"Not if you don't want to" Ben said reaching over and placing his hand over mine on the table. "I can't guarantee that anyone won't ask you questions though."

"It's ok, I think I can handle it" I said taking a deep breath to calm my nerves.

"Evie told me you are doing your dress fitting after the meeting" Belle said to me. I knew she was trying to calm my nerves by distracting me with something else.

"Yes. I haven't even seen my dress yet. Evie has made so many things for me that I only have to have one fitting and it's to the point now that it's usually perfect" I said smiling at her.

"I've seen it and it's beautiful" Belle said smiling at me.

"I can't wait to see it!" I said. I was starting to feel excited about the ball.

"I can't wait either" Ben said with a smirk.

Everyone began to arrive. Queen Leah was one of the first to arrive, even before some of the members who were staying at the castle. She looked at me as if I had no business being there. This didn't surprise or offend me. I am 'that villain' after all.

After everyone arrived, Ben had everyone state their attendance for the minutes like he did last time. It took quite a long time considering there were thirty-two people actually present and King Triton stated his attendance via the bluetooth speaker, which didn't startle me this time.

"Before we get to the reason I called this meeting, does anyone have any grievances they would like to address?" Ben asked. No one said anything, just looked around to see if anyone had anything to say. Queen Leah raised her hand slightly, still throwing glances my way.

"Yes Queen Leah" Ben said keeping his voice even as he spoke.

"I don't have a grievance" she began. "Are we going to be discussing bringing over villain children again?" she asked him.

"Not today Queen Leah" he answered her.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but if the meeting isn't about the villain children, I don't understand why Lady Mal would be present at a council meeting when she is not part of the council" she said in that tone she always has. I don't know why people always say 'I don't mean to sound rude' before they say something they know is rude.

"She is here because I asked her to be" Ben said in a way that said she shouldn't question him. She wisely kept her mouth closed.

"Well if no one has anything to add I guess I will jump right into it" Ben began. "I always assumed my personal life would not have to be addressed in council meetings, no matter how many emails I receive from certain members about my personal life and relationship." That was the first jab, I thought. "Though something has come to my attention that is forcing me to address a personal matter. Let me remind the council that, like every other member of royalty, the council has no say in who I marry, when I get married and when I must have an heir. The Happily Ever After Act assures us that we can choose who we want to be with." I tried not to have a reaction to Ben mentioning marriage.

"I am sure that everyone is aware of the articles that came out in late October" Ben said pushing a button and the articles appeared on the screen behind him. There were three articles. I had heard that there were two other articles, but I hadn't read the other two and didn't care to now, so I just let my eyes wander. Queen Leah looked a little worried to me.

"Now of course the articles were very misleading and that is because they were not true" Ben said. Meg put her hand up. "Yes Lady Meg?" Ben asked.

"Didn't the young man from these articles release a statement telling everyone there was no truth to the stories?" she asked him.

"Yes he did" Ben said and pushed another button and Derek's statement appeared on the screen. "Now I need everyone to understand what was going on around the time of these articles. As most of you know I was extremely busy and had been working so much I wasn't even able to attend classes for a month. In that time I was barely able to talk to Mal let alone spend any time with her. Mal is and always has been understanding of my restricted time. So when those articles came out I was crushed. I thought the woman I loved had finally turned her back on me because I didn't have time for her." Ben's voice quivered ever so slightly and I knew he was thinking about how he felt when he first read the articles.

"Days went by where I didn't speak to anyone, including Mal. The statement was released because the articles hurt people other than just me and Mal" Ben said. Queen Leah kept her eyes down, not really looking at anyone. She probably didn't even give Derek a second thought when she sought to cause trouble between Ben and I.

"Now I'm sure you are all wondering why I called a council meeting to address an issue that seemed to be resolved" Ben continued. Many people nodded their heads, interested where he was going with this.

"After Derek released his statement, Lady Mal and I were obviously able to work things out. The statement and talking to Lady Mal brought to light that the articles were false and as King, and Mal being my Lady of the Court, I issued fines to the publications for defamation" Ben said his voice sounding intense. "All three publications came back to me claiming they received an email from an anonymous sender telling them that Lady Mal was spending time with another man." Ben once again pushed a button and then the anonymous email popped up on the screen. I looked around and watched as everyone was reading the email. Everyone except Queen Leah. Ben was watching her too. Several people started to murmur to each other. Aladdin looked to Ben.

"I hope you launched an investigation" he said sounding like he took offence to someone actually doing this to the king. It wasn't the worst thing to happen but upholding a good reputation was important to all of the royals in the kingdom.

"Of course" Ben said. You could see the blood drain from Queen Leah's face.

"I hope you have given consequences to whoever did this" Jasmine said.

"Who would do such a thing though" Queen Tiana asked, looking from Jasmine to Ben.

"I know who did it. I had my suspicions even before I was presented with proof. Now all I want to know is how they knew that Lady Mal was spending extra time with someone else?" Ben stated, still building it up. A couple more people whispered to each other. Queen Leah still sat staring at the table. I looked at Queen Aurora and King Phillip. They looked just as interested as everyone else to know who would do something like this. I knew then that they had no clue about Queen Leah's meddling. Ben didn't say anything for a minute. I wondered if he was giving her a chance to admit what she had done, but she said nothing. Ben took a deep breath. I knew he was about to confront her.

"Queen Leah" he began. "Would you please explain to me how you knew Lady Mal was spending all her free time with a gentleman that wasn't me and why you thought the press ought to know instead of coming to me?" he asked her in a no-nonsense tone. I heard several gasps including Queen Aurora. She finally looked up at Ben.

"Your Majesty I would never..." she began but Ben cut her off.

"Queen Leah do you know what an IP address is?" Ben asked her. He was being so calm.

"No I can't say that I do" Queen Leah said as if her knowledge of it had no significance to what was going on.

"Let me explain it to you. IP addresses are a unique set of numbers assigned to a device connected to a network. In other words anything you send on the internet will have your IP address attached to it even if you send it anonymously. It also shows where it is being sent from" he told her. Her mouth dropped open. "Now I will ask you again, how did you know about Lady Mal and Derek and why did you send an anonymous email to the press?"

"Audrey told me about them" Queen Leah said in a low voice.

"And how would Audrey know considering she has been away?" he asked her.

"She said that Anxelin told her" she informed him, her eyes on the table again.

"So it seems we have a she said she said thing going on" Ben said. "I would like to get to the bottom of this. Lumiere" he called.

"Yes Your Majesty?" Lumiere said stepping in the door.

"Would you please send for Princess Audrey and Princess Anxelin. I want them here post haste" he said.

Ben said nothing after that and didn't dismiss anyone either. Almost everyone started to talk amongst themselves, except Queen Leah who just sat quietly and stared at the table. I looked at Ben. He looked like he was trying to put it all together in his head. He leaned over to me.

"Are you ok?" he whispered. I nodded my head.

"Are you ok?" I whispered back.

"Yeah" he said reaching under the table for my hand.

It only took twenty minutes before both Audrey and Anxelin were shown into the conference room. Both of them looked very confused.

"Your Majesty" they both said dipping a small curtsy, showing etiquette in front of the council. Both of their fathers stood, giving them their seats.

"We are trying to get to the bottom of a situation" Ben said. I saw Audrey looking at the anonymous email still on the screen and her eyes grew big.

"Anxelin can you tell me exactly what you told Audrey about Lady Mal and Derek prior to the release of the articles?" Ben asked her.

"Um all I said was that I noticed Mal had been spending every evening with that guy from her art class when she asked what had been going on around Auradon Prep" Anxelin said. She seemed nervous. She probably thought she was in trouble.

"That was all you said?" Ben asked.

"Yes Your Majesty" she said.

"Audrey why did you find the need to pass this information on to your grandmother?" Ben asked, turning his attention to her. Her mouth opened and closed a couple times like she was trying to figure out what to say.

"Well she mentioned that the two of you hadn't been seen together in quite some time, so I told her that that probably had to do with the fact that Mal was spending all her time with that art guy" she said to him.

"So you assumed that because Mal had been seen with another guy that her and I must be having problems? That she was cheating on me or we had broken up even?" he accused raising his eyebrows. Audrey didn't say anything. Ben shook his head in disgust.

"Ok, it seems we have come full circle. Queen Leah now that we know where you got your information, why did you take it to the press instead of me?" He sounded like he was getting angry.

"I felt like it was the best way to get through to you. You weren't taking any of the advice I had been giving you. Your reputation was at stake. I couldn't stand by and let her humiliate you while she paraded around with another boy" Queen Leah said indignantly. Ben just gave a humorless chuckle.

"Let's talk hypothetically for a moment. When Audrey and I were together, she spent a lot of time with Chad on her own. Do you think someone should have gone to the press with that?" he asked her. Queen Leah shook her head.

"The thing is Queen Leah, Lady Mal didn't humiliate me, you did. She didn't go to the press with this, you did" Ben said, his tone becoming more angry with every word. Nobody said anything for a few moments.

"I apologize Your Majesty. I can see now that it was a mistake" she said to Ben. He took another deep breath.

"Queen Leah I implore that you stay out of my personal life. You will be charged and fined for defamation. Let this be a lesson to you" Ben said, his tone low and even.

"But Your Majesty..." she began to argue.

"Queen Leah you are a hero and it is time you acted like it. I have nothing more to say on the matter, unless you would like to hash out why you are constantly trying to break up my relationship with Mal in front to the whole council?" Ben practically shouted at her with raised eyebrows. She closed her mouth and shook her head.

"Let's all take what we learned here and know not to repeat the mistakes of others. If anyone else has anything to say..." Ben said looking at every one. No one said anything. A couple of people shook their heads no.

"This meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for attending" Ben said to the room.

With there being so many people there, no one was leaving in a hurry and I knew that Ben stayed until everyone else left. I leaned over to talk to him.

"Hey, this lasted longer than I thought so I'm going to head out to meet Evie in my room for my fitting" I said to him.

"Ok" he said and I began to stand. He stood also and grabbed my hand. He pulled me to him and gave me a quick sweet kiss. "I'll see you later" he said with a smile.

As I stepped out into the hall way about to make my way to the back stairs I heard Queen Leah's voice from around the corner and couldn't help but stop.

"Unbelievable. I can't believe he would humiliate me like that!" she said.

"I'm sorry Grammy" I heard Audrey say. I guess she was trying to console her.

"I can't take another meeting like that and now I have mark against our name with that defamation charge. I should have covered my tracks better. I should have gone with a typed note and had them delivered. Not like it did any good anyhow" I heard her scoff. Well I guess she wasn't all that sorry after all.

"Looks like it is up to you to get him back" she said to Audrey.

I rolled my eyes. What would it take to get them off our backs I thought as I made my way down the hall and up the back stairs.

* * *

**Full Council in attendance**

**King Benjamin of Auradon**

**King Elder Adan of Auradon**

**Queen Belle of Auradon**

**Queen Elder Leah of South Riding Auroria**

**Queen Aurora of South Riding Auroria**

**King Phillip of South Riding Auroria**

**Queen Rapunzel of South Riding Tangletown**

**King Eugene of South Riding Tangletown**

**Queen Cinderella of Cinderellasburg**

**King Charming of Cinderellasburg**

**Queen Snow White of Charmington**

**King Florian of Charmington**

**Queen Elsa of Winter's Keep**

**Princess Anna of Winter's Keep**

**Kristoff of Winter's Keep**

**Queen Tiana of Towering Heights**

**King Naveen of Towering Heights**

**Queen Ariel of Westerly Triton's Bay**

**King Eric of Westerly Triton's Bay**

**Peter Pan of Neverland**

**Tinker Bell of Neverland**

**Lady Alice of Wonderland**

**Mulan of Northern Wei**

**Li Shang of Northern Wei**

**Sultan Aladdin of Lone Keep**

**Sultana Jasmine of Lone Keep**

**Genie of Lone Keep**

**Zeus of Olympus**

**Lady Hera of Olympus**

**Hercules of Olympus**

**Lady Megara of Olympus**

**Lady Mal of The Isle**

* * *

**There you have it! I know that Elsa, Anna and Kristoff aren't really apart of Descendants but I thought they fit that region because it is mentioned that the kingdom of Arendelle is in Winter's Keep. **

**So it seems that Queen Leah doesn't really regret sending the email just the fact that she got caught. Anyhow the ball is next!**

**Reviews are love!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Time for the Christmas Ball! There is a scene in this chapter that has been mentioned in one of my other stories. Happy reading!**

**Content Warning!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

It was the day of the ball and I was in the ball room with Jane and Belle making sure that things were just right. All the trees were up and decorated. I was particularly drawn to the the Lone Keep tree. The ornaments were beautiful, in lovely jewel tones that were mostly teal, gold and purple. There were ornaments that looked like genie lamps and magic carpets. Belle said that each tree told the story of their leader, so I may have been partial to this tree because of how fond I have become of Aladdin and Jasmine. I walked over to the Auradon tree. There were beautiful gold ornaments specifically made to look like the beast emblem that is the family emblem. There were shiny dark blue ball ornaments mixed in with ornaments that looked like tea pots, clocks and candelabras. There were even little book shaped ornaments. Belle told me the other day that we would pick real roses from the garden to place in the tree but she didn't want to do it too soon so they wouldn't wilt. This was my favorite tree, but I think I was biased.

"Jane the trees look amazing" I said to her, looking at all the trees that sat around the outside edges of the ballroom. The whole ballroom just looked so festive. It even smelled like Christmas in here. I inhaled the scent of pine and cinnamon.

"Thanks" she said looking up from her tablet and smiling at me. "I'm going to go make sure they have everything in the kitchen" she told us, looking back at her tablet before she made her way out of the ballroom.

I looked around and noticed mistletoe had been hung here and there. I smiled, I must remember to try to get Ben to stand under some. After today I would have a lot of free time and I hoped Ben would too. I thought I could ask Belle about it.

"Belle?' I asked trying to get her attention as I followed her around the tables that were placed around the outside of the dance floors.

"Yes darling?" she said as she shifted things around on a table here and there.

"I'm planning to give Ben an early Christmas present and Evie and I came up with this idea to send him on a scavenger hunt to find it" I said to her.

"Oh, how clever! That sounds like fun" she said turning and smiling at me.

"The only problem I'm having is finding out when Ben has enough free time. I would ask him but I want it to be a surprise" I told her. "You don't happen to know when he is available for the day do you?" I asked.

"He mentioned that he hoped to have time off after the ball, but no particular day" she said. "I'm sorry, I know that's not much to go on. Maybe shoot for the weekend. Everyone should have returned home by then and I'm sure he can free up one of those days" she suggested.

"Yeah" I said nodding. "When I have it all worked out do you think you can give him the first clue?" I asked her.

"Of course. Will you tell me what you're getting him, or is that a surprise?" she asked.

"Um... I think I want to keep it a surprise" I said. There is no way I was going to tell her that the gift I wanted to give him was my virginity. I was going to have to come up with an actual gift so he would have something when she eventually asks him what the gift was.

"Well it seems like everything is in order here. What time is Evie going to be here?" Belle asked me.

"She said she will be here by four. What time should we meet in your suite?" I asked. We decided on ladies night that it would be fun if all the ladies got ready together.

"You can head over when Evie gets here. I already arranged to have hors d'oeuvres and champagne sent up" she said. "Come on lets go out to the garden to get some roses that we can put in our tree" she said linking her arm through mine and pulling me from the ball room.

* * *

Thank goodness Belle's suite was huge. There were eleven of us getting ready in here, but it was so spacious that we weren't all on top of each other. Belle's bathroom alone was bigger than my dorm room.

Evie was doing my hair and I was enjoying some delicious stuffed mushrooms that Mrs. Potts sent up. I think I may have already eaten half the tray.

"If anyone else wants any of these you better come get them now. I can't promise they will last much longer" I said popping another one in my mouth. Belle giggled as she walked over, taking the tray of mushrooms from me. I pouted at her.

"We will be having dinner when the ball starts you know" Belle said as she stepped over to the table and place the tray on it before she began taking the rollers out of her hair.

"So Belle, will you go over again how everything will go?" I asked. I had only attended one ball before this and it wasn't quite this formal. It was the first time I was announced with Ben. I was nervous then, but not as nervous as I feel today.

"As per invitation the doors will open at six and everyone must arrive before seven forty-five. All royals will be announced as they arrive. Our guests can obviously make their way down at anytime within that time. No one will be admitted after seven forty-five. You, Ben, Adam and I will be announced at eight" she said going over it again.

"And unlike Anxelin's ball, we will sit for a formal dinner" I recited what I had already been told.

"Yes. This is a more traditional ball, where Anxelin's was essentially a birthday party" she said.

"I hope I don't embarrass Ben or you guys" I said. I was so nervous about how to act.

"Mal" Belle said as she walked over and knelt down in front of me taking my hands. "All you have to do is be yourself. You don't have to try to be a certain way just to impress everyone. We all know that that doesn't work in anyone's favor. We love you for you. I know you still aren't use to all the formal etiquette and that's ok. You will do fine I promise" she said as she squeezed my hands. I nodded and took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves.

"Yeah. Besides there is no way you couldn't be confident in the gown I made you" Evie said sliding some pins in my hair. My dress was gorgeous and I couldn't wait for Ben to see it.

"Thanks you guys" I said to them.

We enjoyed spending time together and getting ready. It was fun just listening to the stories that the older royals had to tell. I had heard different versions of some of the stories they told, having only heard them from the point of view of the villain. I found I related better to their versions of the stories now, as most of them revolved around falling in love.

As time for the ball got closer, the lady's started to slowly leave to meet with their husbands and family. It was now just Evie, Belle and I. Evie's dress was very 'Evie'. It was a deep royal blue satin ball gown with a lace bodice that was strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a full skirt that fanned out around her. She paired it with ruby red, elbow length satin gloves. Evie looked perfect of course. Belle stepped out of the bathroom in her dress. Evie has really out done herself I thought as I looked at her. Her dress was a gold A-line dress with cap sleeves with a ruby studded belt. She wore a tiara that had rubies in it to match.

"Belle you look amazing!" I said to her.

"Thank you. Evie did a wonderful job. She may just be my new favorite designer" she said winking at Evie, who smiled brightly.

"Now come on. Time to get you into your dress, before I have to head down to meet Doug" Evie said to me, pushing me towards the bathroom.

My dress was a dark green chiffon off the shoulder A-line dress. The bodice was ruched with a sweetheart neckline. There was a slit that ran up my left leg to my hip, but the fabric over lapped a couple of inches at the top so it stayed closed unless I pushed my leg through or pulled it to the side. The skirt wasn't as full as Evie's or Belle's, but it was a lot of fabric that flowed when I moved. I also had a tiara that Belle gave me. It had amethyst colored stones that matched the amethyst stud earrings I chose. Like with Anxelin's ball, I decided not to wear gloves and just wore Ben's ring.

As I stepped out of the bathroom I heard Belle gasp.

"Does it look ok?" I asked her as I looked down at myself.

"You look absolutely stunning" she breathed out with a smile. I smiled back as she walked over, wrapping her arms around me in a motherly hug.

"I'm heading down to meet Doug " Evie said. "I can't wait to see everyone's reaction to you. I only wish I could see Ben's face when he sees you" she said before she too gave me a quick hug.

She left and I paced back and forth a bit, still a little nervous. I was going over the things that I had actually read in that book Belle gave me before cotillion.

"Belle? How do I address the dignitaries that aren't royals?" I asked.

"Either Sir or Lady and then their name, except Zeus and Hercules. They prefer to just be addressed by their names even though they are Gods" she said with a little chuckle.

"Mal you don't have to be perfect. Remember that" she said as she stepped in front of me and grabbed my arms, stopping my pacing. "Take a deep breath" she said. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She turned and linked her arm through mine.

"What do you say we go make a couple of guys speechless?" she asked, making me laugh as we left the suite to meet up with Adam and Ben.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I have't seen Mal since dinner last night. I had hoped to get to see her this morning at breakfast, but I wound up getting called in to an early morning meeting with my security team and by the time it was over, so was breakfast and Mal and my mom were busy again, making sure everything was just right for the ball.

So now I was standing at the bottom of the stairs in my formal royal suit waiting for her. I couldn't wait to see her. Mal hadn't told me anything about her dress. At the time she said she didn't know anything about it herself because she hadn't seen it. She said she knew the color but wanted to keep it a secret. That got me thinking that her dress must not be purple.

I was lost in my thoughts until my dad elbowed me. I looked over to him and he nodded toward the stairs. I turned to look at what he was motioning to and saw Mal and my mother at the top of the stairs making their way down. I was stunned. She looked beautiful all the time, even when she just wakes up, but right now she looked magnificent. Every woman here will pale in comparison to her beauty, I was sure of it. I stepped up to the stairs as she made it to the bottom. I couldn't find the right words to say what I was thinking. I took her hand, bringing it to my lips and kissing it. I felt her shiver and smiled. I could feel her leaning in towards me, almost like she couldn't help it. I was about to close the distance and kiss her when Lumiere walked up to us.

"It is time Your Majesty" he said.

"Thanks Lue" I said giving him a smile and a nod as sense came back to me. I turned back to Mal. "You look amazing" I said to her as I grabbed her hand and placed it around my arm. I led her over to the double doors to the ball room and we stood behind my parents to be announced.

"And you look as handsome as ever" she said giving me a small smile before taking a deep breath.

"Are you ready?" I asked. I knew she was nervous. She nodded her head.

"Don't worry. All I have heard from everyone this week is how wonderful you are" I said, smiling down at her. She smiled brightly at that bit of information. Then the trumpets began to blow. I watched Mal's face as my parents were announced. She took another deep breath and then looked up to me and smiled again. Man, I was the luckiest guy alive I thought.

"His Majesty King Benjamin and the Lady Mal" Lue announced us.

Everyone clapped and I heard a few gasps. I must not be the only one who is stunned by her beauty. I led Mal to the table assigned to us. Mom arranged it so that we sat with Aladdin, Jasmine, and Az. I think sitting with people Mal felt comfortable with was a good idea. My mom texted me earlier and let me know Mal's insecurities were getting to her a bit. I hoped to do everything I could this evening to put her at ease.

As we ate I reached over and put my hand on her thigh, just wanting to touch her. Her dress slipped and my hand touched bare skin. My eyes widened as I looked at her. She leaned over to whisper in my ear.

"This dress has a slit" she said giving me a slight smile.

"Well thankfully we are sitting at the table and no one can see" I said stroking the bare skin my hand was now in contact with. Her breath hitched a bit and she reached down and stopped my hand from moving but didn't push me away. I looked at her. I could tell by the look on her face that my touch was affecting her. I reveled in the knowledge of it. I may have to find a way to sneak her away for a bit later.

After we ate it was time for the first waltz of the evening. Mal didn't grow up taking dance lessons like most of the kids of Auradon did, but she picked it up with ease. Every time I danced with her, I was amazed at how effortless it was to lead her.

"I love dancing with you" I told her as I pulled her a little closer.

"I love doing anything with you" she said smiling up at me. "But you are a good dancer. You make it feel easy." she said grinning at me.

The dance ended and we headed back toward our table. As the first notes of another waltz began to play, Az approached us.

"Lady Mal" he said taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "You look as lovely as ever."

"Az, you're such a flirt" Mal said with a laugh.

"May I have this dance?" he asked her. He looked to me and I just gave a short nod.

"Of course" Mal said with a smile, taking his offered hand. I watched as he led her out to the dance floor. Az was my closest friend and I was glad to see that he and Mal got along so well.

Queen Leah and Audrey were standing next to our table talking to Aladdin and Jasmine when I approached. Queen Leah didn't look too happy. I'm sure many people had been questioning her about what happened yesterday. I hope she learned her lesson.

"Your Majesty" she said, giving a small curtsy as I stepped up to them.

"Queen Leah" I said giving her a bow.

"Aladdin was just telling me that your parents were thinking about going to Winters Keep in the new year for a ski trip" she said conversationally.

"I hope to be able to join them" I said with a smile. I heard the song that was playing come to an end. "Has anyone seen my mother? I wanted to ask her to dance" I said looking around for her.

"Last I saw her, she was having a conversation with Mulan and Li Shang" Jasmine said.

"Well Audrey here would be more than happy to dance with you Your Majesty" Queen Leah said, scooting Audrey in front of me. Like every time she does this I couldn't say no. It would be rude and she knew it.

"Ok. Princess Audrey?" I said offering my hand. Like every time, she looked like she had just won a prize. I always felt like she was so pleased because she knew how seeing me with her will make Mal feel, which was probably the case. Let's get this over with I thought to myself.

* * *

_Mal's POV_

Az always made smile. I can see why he was Ben's best friend. I was laughing at the silly joke he just told me as we walked back over to our table. I saw Queen Leah standing there with Aladdin and Jasmine. I didn't see Ben anywhere though. I dipped a curtsy as I stepped up to them.

"Where did Ben go?" I asked.

"Lady Mal! Have you learned nothing?" Queen Leah asked indignantly.

"I beg your pardon?" I had no idea what she was talking about.

"You are at a royal function! It is most improper to refer to our king by his first name in such a public setting" she scolded. "You obviously don't care enough for his reputation to learn proper etiquette" she huffed.

I felt the blood drain from my face as she said the words to set off my insecurities again. The last thing I wanted to do was damage Ben's reputation. I couldn't speak as I felt the sting of tears in the back of my eyes. I felt a hand on the small of my back as Ben walked up to us.

"What are we talking about here?" Ben asked with a smile as he looked down at me.

"Excuse me" I said softly, barely able to get the words out. I turned and walked away. I had to get away before Queen Leah could once again make a point about why she believed I don't fit in. I felt Ben grab my hand. The last thing I wanted to do was to make a scene so I immediately stopped and turned to face him.

"Yes Your Majesty?" I asked, looking up at him. Fully aware now that we were standing in a ballroom, with who knows how many people listening to us. I had to will myself not to cry. Ben just looked into my eyes but didn't say anything for a few heart beats.

"Come with me" he said and pulled me along the edge of the ballroom to the back corner and behind a curtain into a small area where extra chairs were stacked.

"Can you silence this room?" Ben asked me. I was stunned that he was requesting I use magic.

"Um I don't know. I have never done anything like that" I said.

"Try please" he requested.

"Um ok" I said as I thought about it. "Take this moment and make it unheard, so we may have a private word" I gave my hand a wave and looked up at him. "I don't know if it worked or not."

"I will step outside and you call for me" Ben said and turned and stepped out of the curtain. I did as he said but it was a few moments before he stepped back in.

"It worked" he said before stepping up to me and cupping my face with both hands, crushing his lips to mine. I sighed against his lips raising my hands to his sides and and gripping his jacket. I opened my mouth to him, wanting to taste him. This is what I needed. Just him. Just Ben. He slowed down the kiss and pulled away so we could take a breath. He was staring into my eyes.

"Tell me what happened" he said. I took a deep breath and stepped back slightly. Ben's hands slid from my face down my arms until he was holding both my hands in his.

"I just let what Queen Leah said get to me that's all" I said shaking my head.

"And what did she say?" he asked.

"She got upset that I called you Ben and went on to say that I must not care about your reputation" I told him.

"That woman!" he said through gritted teeth clearly angry. I let my thumbs rub circles on the back of his hands. I heard him take a deep breath to calm himself. "Don't let her get to you. You calling me by my name isn't going to ruin my reputation. In fact, aside from Queen Leah and possibly Audrey by association, I think everyone else would expect you to call me Ben" he said. "Like I told you earlier, everyone loves you." He dropped my hands and placed his hands on my waist pulling me to him.

"_I_ love you" he said smiling at me before he kissed me again. He pushed my body backwards two steps until I felt the wall at my back. I gripped his upper arms to keep me steady. His hands slipped down to my hips. He deepened the kiss, his tongue slid against mine. Oh how I loved kissing him. His lips slipped from mine.

"I love you too" I said, my voice breathy. He slid his lips across my cheek and began kissing my neck in all the right places. I felt his right hand move to the front of my skirt until he found the slit in my dress. His hand finding the skin of my upper thigh. My breathing picked up as he ran his fingers along my skin. His lips moved toward my ear.

"I do believe I owe you" he said seductively in my ear. His hand moved until he found the front of the satin panties I had on. I moaned out. He wasn't really doing anything yet but the anticipation had me so turned on. He place his right foot between my feet, tapping the inside of my foot asking me to open for him. I took a step outward giving him more space to work with. He let his fingers tickle me along the outside of my panties.

"Tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable" he said always thinking of my feelings.

"Please don't stop" I said bringing my hands to his face to guide his lips back to mine. I kissed him hungrily. He moved his hand to the top of my panties, sliding it in. He softly circled my bundle of nerves before letting his fingers slip further down. "Mmm" I moaned, pulling my lips from his, as he dipped a finger inside me and I gasped.

"Hmmm. You're so wet" he said to me. I felt a second finger join the first as his thumb continued to graze my clit. I could feel how wet he was making me with every slide of his fingers. He curled his fingers ever so slightly, hitting that spot inside me. I bit my lip to keep from crying out. He brought his other hand up to my breast, kneading it through my dress. His lips returning to my neck. His hands felt like magic. I don't know how he knew how to make me feel like this but I was so happy he did. I was on fire for him.

"Oh god Ben" I moaned out so close to coming undone in his arms, my hand clutching his hair at the back of his head. "I'm going to come" I said through my heavy breathing. He lifted his head to look at me.

"Come for me baby" his voice husky and seductive. It was as if my body heard his command and my orgasm washed over me suddenly.

"Ohhh" I moaned out, leaning my head back against the wall as my body quivered. Ben kept moving his finger slowly inside me letting the orgasm last as long as possible. I slumped against the wall and Ben dropped his hand from my breast to my waist to help keep me up as he pulled his other hand away from me. I watched as he lifted his fingers and stuck them in his mouth, sucking my essence from them. I looked down and noticed the bulge in his pants. I reached my hand down to stroke him through his pants, but Ben grabbed my hand, lacing our fingers together. I looked at him slightly confuse.

"Tonight was just for you" he said with a smirk. "How do you feel?" he asked me. I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to tell him how I was feeling.

"I'm so much better right now" I said with a grin. He leaned in and pecked my lips.

"Good" he said.

"Now I know why we needed a silencing spell" I said with a giggle.

" I didn't plan for this to happen, but let's just say it was a bonus" he said still smirking. "I think that spell will come in handy in the future." He kissed me again. This kiss was slow and sweet and full of love.

"I'm going to have to stop kissing you" he said with a breathy laugh when he pulled away. I knit my brow in confusion. "I think I'm going to need a moment to calm down and kissing you doesn't help" he explained with a small smile.

"Oh!" I said catching on. He stepped back from me. I knew we were going to have to return soon. I'm sure people were looking for us.

"Mal" Ben said. "Please don't let Queen Leah make you feel like you aren't good enough or don't belong. You are everything to me" he said grabbing my hand again. I wanted to throw myself at him, but I knew that would do nothing for his situation. I smiled thinking that I can affect him like that.

"I think with how nervous I was going into tonight and then her practically throwing my insecurities in my face, I just got overwhelmed for a moment. I know that she was just trying to upset me. Anything to drive me away from you. Good thing you are so good at reassuring me" I said with a smile, squeezing his hand.

"We should head back out" he said. "Why don't you head out first. I think I need a few more minutes to compose myself" he smiled before he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. "I'll see you out there."

I headed out through the curtain and looked around. No one noticed me, so I began to make my way back to our table. Before I made it back Adam stopped me.

"Hey Mal. Have you seen Ben?" he asked. The fact that he addressed both of us by our names further set me at ease. If it was as big of a deal as Queen Leah was making it, I knew Adam would address us formally as well.

"I think he went to the restroom" I said, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"Oh ok. Well then would you honor me with this dance?" he asked lifting his hand to me.

"Of course" I said with a smile. Adam led me to the dance floor. He was also a great dance but it didn't feel as easy with him. Probably because he was much taller than Ben.

"I heard about what Queen Leah said" he said to me and I sighed. Looks like it is going around the ballroom and would probably be the topic of conversation for the rest of the night. "Just so you know, most people think she is just being bitter because of what happened yesterday. Don't let her get to you" he said in a comforting tone. "And please just call me Adam. We consider you family and if Queen Leah doesn't want to accept that then that is her problem."

"Thank you" I said with a smile. "I really don't want to say or do anything to ruin your family name or Ben's reputation."

"Don't worry about that. The kingdom already loves you. Besides calling us by our names wouldn't tarnish anything. In fact I think most people would find it endearing that you are comfortable enough with us to use our names" he said.

"Thank you Adam. I really do feel like you guys are my family" I said and he smiled warmly at me.

We finished our dance and Adam escorted me back to the table where Ben now stood talking to Ruby before leaving to find Belle.

"Princess Ruby" I said giving her a small curtsy.

"Lady Mal" she said, curtsying back and smiling brightly at me.

"Princess Ruby was just telling me that Sultan Aladdin apparently put Queen Leah in her place after we walked away. Reminding her that she always addressed King Stefan by his first name" Ben said smiling at me as he reached for me pulling me to his side.

"Is that so?" I said.

"Pot calling the kettle black if you ask me" Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "I don't know why that woman is so crotchety."

I couldn't help but laugh. I wasn't sure if Ruby knew what happened at the meeting yesterday or not, but that probably had to do with Queen Leah's mood this evening, though she has always been sour to me. I wish she would get over hating me for what my mother did to her. I guess the fact that I was with Ben now instead of Audrey gave her another reason to hate me.

Soon all our friends had made it over to our table.

"So what is the deal with Queen Leah?" Carlos asked. "We heard she tried to lay into you but Sultan Aladdin set her straight." So word was definitely getting around.

"Mal I hope you aren't letting her get to you" Evie said giving me a concerned look.

"I'm fine. It was nothing talking to Ben couldn't fix" I said looking at Ben and smiling. "Your dad also reassured me" I told him. "So, is everyone having a good time?" I asked trying to change the conversation.

"Yeah. Herkie is awesome! He said he could put a word in for me with his coaches if I go pro next year" Jay said excitedly.

"That's great man" Ben said, reaching out to give him a fist bump.

"Looks like Jordan might be making her move" Lonnie said, pointing at Jordan who was talking to Herkie and Meg. Good for her I thought.

"So your dress is a hit" Evie said with a smile. "And I have gotten dress orders from Queen Snow White, Princess Anna, Hera and Lady Meg!" she said excitedly.

"That is great E!" I told her. "Looks like Evie's 4 Hearts is blowing up" I said hugging her. "We may have to find you a studio. I don't know how much more you will be able to do just out of our dorm." I stated.

"Well we have to move out of the dorms at the end of the year. Maybe we can get a little castle and you, me, Carlos and Jay can be roommates" she suggested looking at all three of us.

"I'm down" said Jay.

"Yeah me too" Carlos said.

"Well that's that. I guess we should start looking" I smiled at them.

"My uncle Happy could help. He does real estate" Doug said. We all chatted for a bit. Turns out the guy that Ruby likes is actually Lonnie's brother Li Shang Jr. She was a little disappointed to find out that he wasn't able to come to the ball. Ben had gone off to dance with his mom and Jane and Carlos disappeared all together. I started to tell Evie how the meeting went yesterday when Herkie approached us.

"Lady Mal" he said bowing to me. "May I have this dance?" he asked.

"Um, sure" I said taking his proffered hand. He led me to the dance floor, where we began to waltz. Dancing obviously wasn't his strong suit as he stepped on my toes a couple of times.

"I'm very sorry. I'm not the most coordinated person when it comes to dancing. I can get through a kill zone with skilled ease but dancing..." he trailed off shaking his head.

"It's fine" I said smiling at him.

"So tell me how you were able to snatch the king away from a princess?" he asked. I wasn't sure of his angle. Was he trying to get information from me or was he simply curious. I had no intention of telling anyone outside those who already knew about the love potion.

"I guess it was just the pull of true love" I said giving him a tight smile.

"Yes, I heard about your cotillion and how you were able to break a love spell that Ursula's daughter put on the King. I had always been skeptical about true love" he said to me.

"Why is that? Have you had your heart broken?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and smirked at me.

"Not yet" he said in a way that made me a little uncomfortable. He didn't know he was actually my cousin.

I turned my head, scanning the room for Ben. He was standing next to his parents with his eyes on us. His body language told me he was uncomfortable.

Our dance ended on the far side of the dance floor. Herkie offered to escort me back and we began walking along the outside of the dance floor. I saw Ben approaching us. When he reached us, he cupped my face and kissed me suddenly. I'm sure I had a slightly stunned look on my face when he pulled away.

"Mistletoe" he said in way of explanation, smiling at me as we both looked up to see the sprig of mistletoe that hung from the beam above us. I smiled at him. "I have been waiting for you to walk under some all night" he flirted.

"Excuse me" we heard Herkie say and turned to look at him. "Your Majesty, Lady Mal" he said bowing to us before turning and walking away.

"You know what?" I said to Ben. He raised his eyebrows in question. "I think you kissed me on purpose and the mistletoe was convenient for you."

"And why would I do that?" he asked.

"To send a message to rather large man who was being a bit flirty" I said with a smile. He smirk and just shrugged.

"Maybe" he said.

"Trust me, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I only have eyes for you" I said and pecked his lips for good measure. "Let's hope Queen Leah didn't see you kiss me. She may go into cardiac arrest" I said and we both laughed.

I spent the rest of the night dancing and talking to everyone. I didn't have any more run ins with Queen Leah. In fact I didn't even see her for the rest of the night, though Audrey was still lurking around watching Ben's every move. I didn't let her bother me though and just enjoyed myself. Ben and Adam were right and everyone thought Queen Leah was being ridiculous. All in all the rest of the night was pretty amazing.

* * *

**I thought about adding in some interaction between Mal and some other Heros, like Meg, but this chapter was getting long and would probably be around 10,000 words if I had. I used a line from D3 in this chapter. I will give a shout-out to anyone who can figure it out 😃.**

**Reviews are love!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: This is a bit of a transitional chapter to fill in the time between the ball and the date. I am a bit ahead which is working in my favor since I'm having a little writers block. I have up until chapter 22 written. Anyone who has any good ideas for Mal's birthday (Dec. 31). I will give credit obviously.**

**Also shout out to brimason0201 for guessing the D3 line in the last chapter! **

* * *

_Mal's POV_

"Mal...Mal. Wake up baby" I heard Ben's voice saying to me. I was laying on my stomach and I felt his hand rubbing my back. My bed felt so comfy and I wasn't quite ready to wake up. I opened my eyes long enough to pull my covers up some and let my eyes drift back closed. I was up so late last night.

"Come on babe. It's getting late and we have a problem" he said pulling the covers off me. That made me lift my head.

"What problem?" I asked looking at him.

"Get up and I will tell you" he said popping my backside playfully. I groaned and rolled over.

"Good morning to you too" I said grumpily, wiping my eyes.

"More like good afternoon" he said with a chuckle. I sat up quickly.

"What? What time is it?" I asked.

"A little after one" he said. I looked at him. He was dressed casual in a sweater and jeans. I loved his suits but it just seemed like a treat to see him in everyday clothes. He looked good in everything.

"I can't believe I slept half the day away" I said. I looked over and noticed Lonnie's bed was empty. "Is everyone else up?" I asked.

"I'm not sure. Breakfast was being served buffet style this morning, so everyone came down at different times" he said. I climbed out of bed and went to grab my clothes.

"I'm going to jump in the shower. Do you want to hang out here?" I asked him.

"No. I'll be in my office. Just come down when you're ready" he said standing. He stepped over to me and grabbed the front of my shirt pulling me to him and kissing me soundly.

"Ok" I said when he stepped away from me with a smirk on his face.

I showered quickly and got dressed, mentally kicking myself for sleeping so long. I headed in the direction of Ben's office. The door to his office was slightly opened, so I pushed it open further, knocking on it as I did to alert him to my presence. Both Adam and Hercules were in the office with Ben and they were all leaning down looking at the computer.

"Hey" I said and they all looked up at me. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I can come back" I said.

"No we were just trying to see how we can rework flights" Adam said. I knit my brow. Why were they reworking flights?

"A snow storm came in this morning canceling all flights" Ben said. I knew Zeus and his family were due to head back to Olympus this evening. "And right now we don't know when the airports will open back up."

"Oh. So that is the problem you were referring to?" I asked him.

"Yep. It looks like mom may need you to stay and play host a little longer. School has been canceled, so the holiday break is starting early " he said to me.

"That's not a problem. Of course I'll stay" I said smiling at him. I heard him sigh and the smile dropped off my face.

"It also means I will be busy" he said.

"We will just leave you two to talk" Adam said, nodding his head at Hercules and the two of them made their way out of the office.

Ben lifted his hand motioning for me to come to him. He pushed his chair back as I made my way over to him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me down to sit in his lap and just hugged me. We sat like this for a few minutes, saying nothing. It always felt so good to be in his arms. I thought about how far we have come in our relationship. How loving him has made me see things so differently. How he can always reassure me and turn things around. I hoped I did that for him also.

"I just wanted to have time to spend with you" he murmured, turning his face into my neck and inhaling.

"I know. We will just have to wait a little longer" I said letting my fingers stroke through his hair.

"I don't know how long the storm is going to last" he said. He squeezed me a little tighter like he never wanted to let me go.

"Well the new year is coming and things will get easier. We are halfway done with the school year and then we graduate. There won't be a cotillion to plan and take up your time and there won't be a Christmas Ball next year since it's only every other year" I said trying to reassure him. "Looks like, outside of your normal royal duties, finishing school, bringing over new kids is all you have planned for the year. Things will get easier" I said. Just then my stomach growled loudly causing us both to laugh. Ben pressed his lips to my neck briefly before pulling back. He pressed his lips to mine in a loving kiss.

"You are right. I love that you think positive. I don't think many girls would be so understanding with not getting to spend much time with their boyfriend" he said.

"Well it's a good thing you're not just my boyfriend. You're the love of my life and I can't imagine my life without you. If brief moments is all I can get right now, I will take it. Beside the time we have had together has been amazing" I said, winking at him and he chuckled and nodded. I leaned back into him, kissing him softly. I pulled back and just looked at him. "I love you" I said to him. He smiled at me.

"I love you too" he said and once again my stomach grumbled in hunger. "Go get something to eat. I have to get to work ordering salt and getting plows ready" he said to me.

"Ok" I said and stood making my way out of the office. I stopped when I got to his door and turned to look at him. His attention was already on his computer screen. We managed to steal moments even with his busy schedule I thought. Last night ran through my mind and I smiled and left his office. I couldn't wait to be able to put my date plans in motion.

* * *

It had snowed off and on for last three days. It was now Wednesday and the castle was busy with everyone still being here. The airports reopened this morning and flights were booking fast. People were traveling for Christmas, plus all the royals and dignitaries who were staying at the Auradon Grand were also booking flights home. Ben decided the best and easiest course of action for everyone staying at the castle, was to use his private plane to get home. So Zeus and his family were now set to leave this evening. Mulan and Li Shang were heading home tomorrow and of course Lonnie was going with them to spend Christmas at home. We were in our room and Lonnie was packing her things up to be ready for tomorrow.

"So my parents talked to Jay and asked him if he wanted to come spend Christmas with us this year" Lonnie said.

"So what did he say?" I asked. Jay was a ladies man, but it was really awesome to see him settled down.

"He said he would like that, so he is flying out with us tomorrow" she said with a smile. "I'm just so happy that my parents like him. My dad can be a little stiff, so the fact that they invited him to come stay with us for Christmas is a big deal."

"So would you say that what you two have is love?" I asked her.

"I hope so. I mean I'm pretty sure I love him but I don't know if he loves me so I haven't said anything yet" she said.

"I say if you feel it just say it. I held it in far too long, even though Ben had already told me he loved me. You never know, he may feel it too but it's hard for us VKs. I know with me I was just overthinking it. Thinking of every reason not to tell him how I felt, but once I did, it felt amazing." I said smiling at her. She nodded her head.

"Thanks Mal. It's really nice to have a friend who I can talk to about things like this" she said.

"Anytime " I said before standing. "I'm going to go check if Belle needs my help with anything. The pair of us won't have anything to do once everyone is gone" I said with a laugh and left the room.

Thursday dawned sunny and bright. Lonnie and her family were leaving after breakfast, which was a much quieter affair without Zeus's boisterous story telling.

"We should go sledding today" Az suggested. "The weather is perfect for it." Az and his parents, along with Gene and Jordan weren't going to be leaving until tomorrow afternoon.

"I'm down" said Jordan.

"That sounds like fun. I'll call Evie and Carlos and see if they want to come" I said, excitedly. I had so much fun sledding last year. "But Ben probably won't be able to come" I pouted looking over at him.

"I think I can take a break for an hour or so after lunch" he said with a smile.

"Yay!" I said clapping my hands.

After breakfast I texted Evie and Carlos to see if they wanted to go sledding. They were both in and invited Doug and Jane too.

So after lunch we all headed out to the big hill behind the rose gardens.

"This feels like déjà vu" I said as we all walked out with the guys carrying the plastic two person sleds.

"Well there won't be any drama with Chad and Audrey this time" Evie said.

"Yeah and Jay isn't here to cheat when you race him" Carlos said with a laugh and I laughed too.

"I remember that. We got him back though" I said smiling at Ben.

"Last one to the top of the hill is a rotten apple!" Evie exclaimed as she took off up the hill. We all started to run after her. The boys overtook her in no time. I caught up to her, out of breath and the both of us gave up and walked the rest of the way up.

"So are you going to be spending Christmas here or with Doug?" I asked Evie.

"Doug invited me to spend Christmas with him" Evie said. "This will be our first Christmas together" she said smiling looking up to where the boys were at the top of the hill.

"I'm happy we all have someone special to spend the holidays with" I said to her. She linked her arm through mine.

"Me too" she replied as we made it to the top of the hill.

"Ready?" Ben asked me. Like last year we all paired up. Me with Ben, Evie with Doug, Jane with Carlos and Jordan with Az.

"Yep" I said smiling at him. I climbed on the sled and Ben climbed on behind me. We went down the hill and it was such a rush. I couldn't help but giggle. Ben kissed my cheek at the bottom, his lips so warm on my cold face.

"I love hearing you laugh" he said smiling at me. I just smiled back.

"So when do you think you will have a day off?" I asked him as he grabbed our sled and we headed back up the hill.

"Looks like after everyone leaves. So Saturday, and as long as nothing comes up, I am all yours until after New Years" he said turning to me and wagging his eyebrows. I laughed at him giving him a little shove.

Az and Jordan had just taken off when we got to the top and Evie and Doug were still sitting at the bottom of the hill talking.

"I don't know what on earth those two have to talk about. They are always together" I said. Ben laughed and I looked up at him. "What?" I asked.

"I was just thinking that they probably aren't doing a lot of talking when they are alone together" he said still chuckling.

"You're probably right. I know if I had that much time with you a lot of talking wouldn't be happening either" I flirted.

"Is that so?" he said pulling me to him and dropping our sled and using his foot to flip it over and pushed down on it so it wouldn't slide down the hill. "I think we may need to have some quiet time" he flirted back, kissing me. I gripped the lapels of his peacoat. I felt like I couldn't get close enough to him with all our winter clothes on. His tongue slid across my bottom lip and I opened my mouth to him. Our tongues dueled for dominance.

Suddenly we were being pelted with snowballs. All of our friends had made it back to the top of the hill it seemed.

"Hey!" I said dusting the snow off my arm where I was hit.

"That's what you get for making out in the snow" Az teased, throwing another snowball that I dodged.

"Oh it's on!" I said, scooping up some snow.

We enjoyed playing in the snow with our friends. It wasn't long before Ben was called back in to get back to whatever work he had to finish up. The rest of us got hot chocolate and decided to watch a movie.

* * *

After dinner I pulled Belle aside, needing her help with something.

"Belle do you think you could do me a favor?" I asked her as we walked into the library.

"Of course" she said to me as we sat down on the couch. "What do you need?"

"Well Ben let me know he is going to be free on Saturday, so I was going to go ahead with my scavenger hunt surprise" I said and she nodded smiling. "Well I want to hide a clue in his dorm and wondered if you happened to have a spare key to his dorm?" I asked.

"I actually do" she said standing and walking over to her desk. She pulled a key out of one of the drawers and brought it over and handed it to me. "Are you going back to your dorm tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes, just for the weekend. I want to get everyone's gifts wrapped and spend some time with Evie before she leaves to have Christmas with Doug's family." I told her.

"I'm so happy that Evie, Jay and Carlos have all found someone special to spend the holiday's with, but I will miss them. I enjoyed having all of you here last year" Belle said to me.

"Well I will still be here" I said smiling at her.

"Hopefully for many Christmases to come also" she said, reaching over to squeeze my hand.

"I hope so" I replied.

* * *

I spent the rest of the evening planning for my date. I didn't want Ben to plan something and then I screw up any plans he makes. I figured I should text him.

_**Don't make plans on Saturday.**_

I didn't want to out right tell him I was making plans, so I just hoped he would infer it.

_**Ok. Are you planning something?**_

How do I tell him I was but not give anything away?

_**You will just have to wait and see. **_😉

That will keep him guessing. I smiled to myself. I can't wait for Saturday.

* * *

It was bright and sunny again on Friday, but still freezing cold. Aladdin, Jasmine, Az, Gene and Jordan were flying out after lunch and then I would be heading back to my dorm. Evie was leaving on Saturday night to go spend Christmas with Doug's family, so her and I planned to have dinner together tonight.

We all stood in the front hall after lunch to say goodbye to everyone.

"We will see you all again soon" Aladdin said smiling at us as he shook Adam's hand and then Ben's. He pulled me in for a hug before he also hugged Belle. Jasmine hugged us all also.

"Mal I'm trusting you with him" Az said to me, referring to Ben. He leaned in to me. "Don't steal all his innocence" he whispered. I laughed.

"I can't promise anything" I whispered back and he laughed out loud.

"Hey what are you two whispering about?" Ben asked.

"I'll tell you later" I said to him, giving him a wink.

All to soon it was time for me to head back to my dorm. I went in search of Belle and found her sitting at her desk in the library.

"Hello dear. Are you about to leave?" she asked.

"Yes. I just needed to give you this" I said handing her an envelope. "It's the first clue. Can you give it to Ben after lunch tomorrow?" I asked her.

"Of course. Should I tell him it's from you?" she asked me.

"Sure but it will be obvious to him" I said with a laugh. "I will see you all on Sunday" I said before giving her a hug and heading out to Ben's office. I knocked on his door.

"Come in" he called out. "Hey" he said, standing and making his way over when he saw it was me.

"Are you about to leave?" he asked me.

"Yeah. I'm meeting Evie for dinner. She is leaving tomorrow night so I want to spend some time with her before she goes" I told him as he grabbed my waist and pulled me to him.

"So are you going to tell me what you and Az were whispering about earlier?" he asked me. I giggled a little bit.

"He was just warning me not to steal your virtue" I told him placing my hands on his chest. He chuckled, bringing his face close to mine. I thought he was going to kiss me but he didn't. Instead he rubbed his nose against mine then dragged it across my cheek toward my ear.

"It's not my virtue he should be worried about" he whispered and pressed his lips to the side of my neck. My breathing hitched as his warm lips made contact with my skin.

"Your Majesty, are you saying you plan on stealing my virtue?" I asked, teasing him. I felt him smile against me.

"I don't plan on stealing anything" he said as he brought his lips to mine and kissed me passionately. I got lost in his kiss, savoring his taste. He pulled his lips from mine letting them drag back down to my neck as his hands pulled me even closer. Sense was coming back to me slowly and I knew I had to slow us down.

"Ben we gotta stop" I said in a breathy voice. "I have to meet Evie soon." I heard him groan against me before he pulled back and looked at me.

"You have no idea what you do to me" he said.

"I think I might have a clue" I said smirking at him.

"Come on. I'll walk you out" he said stepping away from me and taking my hand.

"I hope you are planning something good for tomorrow" he said as we stepped out of his office.

"Who said I'm planning anything" I said teasing him. I heard him sigh.

"You're going to be the death of me" he said with a chuckle and I giggled at him.

* * *

Evie and I went out to dinner and she caught me up on what was going on with her. I felt like I hadn't got to spend much time with her while I was staying at the castle.

"So how are your plans going for your date?" she asked me as we walked into our dorm room.

"Well I gave Belle the first clue and told her not to give it to Ben until after lunch tomorrow, that way I have enough time to place the rest of the clues tomorrow morning" I told her.

"Did she have a key to Ben's dorm?" she asked me.

"She did. I can't believe she didn't ask any questions" I said.

"What did you tell her?" Evie asked, as she began getting her things ready to get a shower.

"I just said I wanted to leave a clue in his dorm room. I didn't mention the clue was me" I said with a laugh.

"Well I'm gonna jump in the shower. Why don't you pick out a movie to watch and we can just relax for the rest of the night and have girl talk" Evie suggested before heading into the bathroom.

* * *

The next morning I spent all my time placing clues for Ben to find. Campus was practically deserted so I wasn't worried someone else would find them. I couldn't wait until Ben found me.

I went to his dorm and got things ready. His dorm was pretty clean so I didn't have to pick up. He didn't spend much time here to make a mess I guess. I figured we would probably have dinner together but considering I had no idea what time we would eat I didn't prepare anything. We can just order take out I thought. So instead I just brought the same snacks we had on our first date, setting out donuts and strawberries and a couple other fruits.

I looked at the clock on Ben's bedside table. He should be getting the first clue soon. I have just enough time to run back to my dorm to get ready and grab my bag. I felt a prick of nervous anticipation hit me. This was it I thought. No one will interrupt us this time!

* * *

**So we will be getting into the date! I will have the next chapter up no later than Wednesday.**

**Reviews are love!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: The long awaited date is here! This was a fun chapter to write. This whole chapter is from Ben's POV for a change. Happy reading!**

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I hadn't heard from Mal all morning. I was going a bit crazy with nothing to do. I just really wanted to spend time with her and figured she must be planning something since she told me not to plan anything myself. I thought that maybe she was spending the morning with Evie because she was going to be leaving tonight.

I knew I was moping, but today was the first day I had had off in so long and I just wanted to spend it with her. This was wasted time I thought.

"Chin up son. Mal will be over tomorrow to spend Christmas with us" my dad said, catching on to my mood as we were finishing our lunch. I just sighed.

"Speaking of Mal" my mom said. "She told me to give this to you" she said handing me a purple envelope.

"Mal was here today?" I asked her. If Mal was here why didn't she come find me. All I had done all day was watch TV and play video games and try not to think about the fact that I could be with her right now.

"Not today" my mom said with a giggle, but didn't elaborate. I hurriedly opened the envelope. There was a folded note and a card. The note said 'read me first' on it so I unfolded it and began to read.

* * *

_**Ben,**_

_**I know these last few months have been tough, so I wanted to give you an early Christmas present. Follow the clues and they will lead you to your gift. Have fun and I will see you soon. I love you! **_

_** Yours,**_

_** Mal**_

* * *

A smile spread across my face. I couldn't believe she would do something like this for me. I felt excitement build up in my chest as I looked at the card. This must be the first clue.

**...**

**This is the spot where it all began. I knew things were different when you shook my hand.**

**...**

"I gotta go" I said to my parents as I stood and rushed from the room. I quickly put on my snow gear and left the castle. I wasn't sure if I should drive or not. I didn't know how many clues there would be or where they would be. I thought about taking my scooter but then thought what if it was a big gift and I couldn't carry it on the scooter. I decided to drive the Range Rover instead. Maybe Mal and I can go out later and it would be better to have the car for that.

I made my way over to the school and parked. I rushed to the front of the school and saw a purple envelope sitting on top of one of the snow covered bushes that lined the front drive. I quickly opened it.

**...**

**I offered you a cookie as part of my evil dealings, a cookie you ate just to spare my feelings.**

**...**

My locker. I was at my locker when she offered me the cookie that wound up being a love potion. I ran to the locker that use to be mine and sure enough taped to the front of it was a purple envelope. I opened the third envelope and read the card inside.

**...**

**You told me you loved me I knew it couldn't be true. You sang me a song that was ridiculously you.**

**...**

I laughed at how cute this all was. I walked out to the tourney field and looked around. I checked the bleachers first but found nothing, so I stood and scanned the field. A speck of purple caught my eye and I made my way down to the Dragon Cannon. I wondered if she stuck it to the Dragon Cannon on purpose, but then thought this was Mal I was thinking of. She probably didn't even know it was called the Dragon Cannon. I pulled the next card out and read it.

**...**

**You called my name, it was practically a shout. This is the place you first asked me out.**

**...**

I smiled. I loved how all the clues rhymed. Mal must have put a lot of work into this. I read the clue one more time. I was pretty sure we were leaving Magical History class when I asked her out on a date for the first time. I headed in the school and towards the classroom. The clues weren't really giving away what the gift could be, but this was fun none the less.

Taped to the door of the Magical History classroom was another purple envelope. This had to have been what Mal has been doing all morning instead of hanging out with Evie, unless Evie has been helping her place all these clues. I grabbed the clue off the door and opened it.

**...**

**This place is so special. I fell for you there. It was here that I learned you really do care.**

**...**

I read the clue through twice. Mal said she fell in love with me on our first date, so she must be talking about the Enchanted Lake. Well I was glad I decided to drive I thought.

This one was harder to get to, but I knew a short cut and was able to get to the stone platform by the lake in record time considering all the snow. I was happy to see the purple envelope sitting on one of the white wrought iron benches.

**...**

**The spell had been broken, you gave me your ring, I decided to be good and you became king.**

**...**

The cathedral! I made it back to my car and drove to the cathedral. I knew it was closed so I wondered where she would have left the clue. I pulled up out front and saw it hanging on the door. I was glad the clues were easy to find. I ran up the steps and pulled the card from the door. I read the card quickly.

**...**

**This is where we shared our first kiss. I never knew that love could feel like this.**

**...**

Our first kiss was probably one of my favorite memories. She dodged kissing me quite a few times. Not that she didn't want to kiss me, she just wasn't comfortable doing it in front of other people. Things are so much different now. She doesn't care who sees us kiss now, though I don't think she would be ok with making out in front of people. I let the memory of our first kiss run through my mind.

_I was walking Mal back to her dorm after my coronation party. We were just walking quietly holding hands. I was wondering why Mal wouldn't kiss me. Does she not want to kiss me? Did she not really want to be with me?_

_"So Your Majesty, did you have a good evening?" she asked interrupting my thoughts. I looked at her smiling at me and the urge to kiss her returned. _

_"I did" I said giving her a small smile as we walked to the front of the school. _

_"What's wrong?" she asked as we stopped in front of my dad's statue._

_"Mal, do you really want to be with me?" I asked her bluntly still holding her hand._

_"Yes" she said now looking worried. "Why would you think I don't?" she asked._

_"It's just that every time I try to kiss you, you turn away" I said. I watched her give a small shy smile as she took a deep breath._

_"Ben, It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I don't want to have our first kiss in front of everyone" she said. I smiled. That was better than what I was thinking. So she's not big on PDA, that's no big deal I thought. I tugged her a little closer to me._

_"Well we are alone now" I said. _

_"So we are" she said, sounding a little nervous. I reached my right hand up to cup the side of her face gently. I slowly lowered my lips to hers letting my eyes close. She didn't __turn her head away this time. __Her full lips were soft and warm. It felt like her lips fit perfectly to mine. I didn't want to scare her away so I didn't deepen the kiss. I pulled back slightly and looked at her. Her eyes were still closed and I heard her sigh at the loss of contact. I softly pecked her lips once more before I pulled away fully. I watched as her eyes opened and she looked at me. I smiled at her._

I would never forget the way she looked after our first kiss. I didn't know at the time that it was her first kiss ever, not counting practicing with Evie. I headed back to the school. I was confused because the first clue I found was in the same area that this one should be. I hadn't see another clue when I found that one though. I parked again and walked back out to the front of the school. We shared our first kiss in front of my dad's statue, when I was walking her back to her dorm after the coronation party. I walked up to the statue and sure enough, on the base of the statue by the feet, was another envelope.

**...**

**You told me you loved me, you wanted me back. If you head toward the Isle you're on the right track.**

**...**

I knit my brow in confusion. Mal wouldn't hide a clue on the Isle would she? There is no way. I read the clue again. 'If you head toward the Isle you're on the right track'. I figured I would just do what it said, so I climbed in my car and drove to where the magical bridge to the Isle began. I got out of the car and walked toward the bridge and there next to the giant concrete arch was the next clue. I sighed in relief that she hadn't done anything drastic.

**...**

**You were spelled yet again and my heart broke in two, until I told you how I felt and shared a magical kiss with you.**

**...**

This happened on the boat at cotillion, but I knew the boat wasn't there anymore. Maybe she just put the next clue on the dock. I headed to the dock that was next to the school. I walked along the wooden pier and found the clue on a post at the end. I read the card, hoping I would find her or the gift soon. Preferably her.

**...**

**A couple of firsts have happened in this spot. It's here where things began to get hot.**

**...**

This one was tougher. I thought about it for a minute. I was pretty sure when she said hot she wasn't referring to the actual temperature. I thought about the times when things have really heated up between us. We made out for the first time in her dorm. Maybe that was it. Then I thought about the first time we actually touched each other intimately. That also happened in her dorm. Well if either of those things were what she was referring to, then I guess the next clue would be in her dorm.

I headed back up the dock. I wondered if this was the last clue. Would Mal be in her dorm waiting for me? I was now getting excited, hoping I was going to get to see her soon. I rushed back to the school. As I walked into the dorms I saw Carlos heading out.

"Hey Ben. Are you hanging out with Mal today?" he asked me.

"Not yet, but she has me on a scavenger hunt for an early Christmas present. You haven't seen her have you?" I asked him.

"Not today" he said. "Well I'm on my way to see Jane. Have fun with your hunt or whatever it is" he said giving me a wave and heading out of the dorm building.

I just shook my head. I quickly made my way up to Mal's dorm. Someone had to be here or I wouldn't be able to get the next clue. Either that or she left the door unlocked. I decided it would be best to knock first. I knocked and it only took a moment before Evie opened the door.

"I've been expecting you" she said with a smug grin. She must know all about this. She held the door open, inviting me in.

"Is Mal here?" I asked looking around but not seeing her anywhere.

"Nope, but since you are here you will see her soon" she said still smiling. I smiled back and looked around for the next clue. I found it sitting in the middle of Mal's bed. I sat down and opened it, reading the next clue.

**...**

**We swam and we played, you got your first view, it was the first time my mouth worked magic on you.**

**...**

I instantly began thinking about that day and our date. Mal was very bold that day I thought. I chuckled to myself.

"What?" Evie asked me.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about the day she is referring to in this clue" I said. "You haven't read these have you?" I asked feeling embarrassed at the possibility that she had.

"Nope. Mal said they were personal. I was only tasked with placing the clue by the statue out front after you got the clue off the bush" she said.

"They are personal" I said. "Well a few of the first clues were innocent enough." I said with. "They aren't really giving me any clues as to what my present is though." Evie laughed.

"They are but you probably won't realize it until she gives it to you. Well maybe just before she gives it to you. I'm sure she will explain if you don't figure it out on your own" she said with a smile.

"So you know what my gift is?" I asked her.

"I do. All I will say is I'm pretty sure you will like it" she said and I knew I wouldn't be able to get any more information out of her.

"Well if I have this clue right, I need to head back to the castle" I said. I looked over at Evie and saw her smirking. "Is she there?" I asked

"My lips are sealed" she said. I shook my head at her, smiling.

"Thank's Evie" I said as I stood to make my way back home.

As I was driving to the castle I thought about the clues. They all had to do with our relationship and they were in chronological order so far. I still couldn't figure out what they had to do with a gift.

My mom said that Mal hadn't been to the castle today, so Mal must have given mom the clue before she left. If so I wondered if she also left the other clue before she left. One way to find out I thought.

When I got back to the castle, instead of heading down to the pool, I went to my office. I sat down turning on my computer. I clicked on the security files, selecting the files for the indoor pool and gym. I pulled up the footage from yesterday. It didn't take long to see Mal walking in and heading for the gym changing room door. I smiled at my sneaky girlfriend on the screen. I could see her smirking as she walked back out of the changing room. I did a quick fast forward through the footage up until now just to make sure no one had gone in there and found the clue. No on had even been down there since Mal left.

I quickly shut my computer down and made my way out of my office and down the stairs toward the pool and gym. I knew right where to look now. I stepped into the changing room but didn't see anything. We really didn't go to far into the room, so I wouldn't think she would leave it anywhere where I couldn't see it. I turned to look at the shelf the towels were on, remembering that she grabbed a towel for me. I saw it then, taped to the back of the door.

**...**

**This is a place where you rest your head, but it's been a long time since you've used this bed.**

**...**

I had to read this clue a couple of times. All the other clues had to do with something significant in our relationship but this one didn't seem to fit. The only beds Mal and I had ever really been together on were hers and my bed here. I just got a clue from her bed and I don't think she would have Evie place another clue there. I guess I could check my bed here. I headed up stairs to my room. I don't know how she could have left a clue there. I had been here all morning, plus I slept in my bed last night so she couldn't have left it yesterday. I figured she could have had my mom place it on my bed after I left.

I walked into my room but didn't see any clues. My bed was made but there wasn't an envelope on it. I pulled out the clue and read it again. Where would I sleep but haven't slept there in a long time? She really had me stumped on this one. I left my room and nearly ran into my mom on the stairs.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey. Sorry I wasn't paying attention to where I was going" I said to her.

"I didn't expect you to be back so soon. Did you find your present?" she asked. So she knew about this too.

"Not yet and all the clues she has left haven't even given me a clue to what it is. You don't happen to know what it is do you?" I asked, getting impatient.

"No. Mal said it was a surprise. Why are you back here?" she asked me.

"Mal left another clue here. She has had me all over the place, back and forth" I said with a laugh. "I have been spot on with every clue so far but this one is stumping me. All of the clues take me to a place that is significant to our relationship, whether it's where we had a date or our fist kiss, but this one doesn't make sense to me."

"Can I see? Maybe I can help" she said. The clue was innocent enough so I handed her the card. "Oh that one is easy! I kinda helped her because she said she wanted to put a clue there" mom said to me. I looked at her still clueless. "Just think about it. The clue is straight forward. Where do you have a bed but you don't sleep there?" she asked. The only place I had another bed besides here was in my dorm. That's it I thought.

"My dorm, but Mal and I have never spent time there" I said confused as to why she would leave a clue there. My mom just shrugged her shoulders.

"You will have to go find the clue to find out" she said. I nodded and she began to move past me up the stairs and I started to make my way down again.

"Oh and Ben" my mom called.

"Yeah?" I said as I stopped and turned back to look up at her.

"I will understand if you don't make it back home tonight" she said giving me a knowing look with a slight smirk. I didn't know what she was talking about.

"Um...ok?" I said, a little confused as to why she thought I wouldn't come home. She headed upstairs and I shook my head and made my way out of the castle and back to the school once again.

I headed back to the dorm building. I was glad I drove again because I would need my keys and my dorm key was on my key ring. I wondered how Mal would have gotten into my dorm. I had the key in my hand. Then I remembered that my mom said she helped her with this clue. She must have given Mal the spare key.

I checked the door and found it was locked so I used my key to unlock it. I opened the door and saw Mal sitting in the middle of my bed. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Finally" she said as I walked in.

* * *

**I will have the next chapter up soon I promise.**

**Reviews are love!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I couldn't leave you hanging too long. This is the chapter most of you have been waiting for! Reminder that this story is rated M. Happy reading.**

**Content Warning for smut and lemons!**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

It had been going on three hours now. I knew it was going to take him a while. It took me a while to place all the clues and I didn't even have to go back and forth because I knew which clue went where. I got a text a from Evie telling me that Ben had already made it to our dorm. I knew now all he had to do was go to the castle and find the last clue but it was taking him longer than it should.

I heard him try the door handle, then I heard the lock click. I smiled as he opened the door and saw me. I watched as he smiled brightly at me.

I was sitting on his bed in a long sleeve purple sweater with little black studs on the cuffs and black leggings. I thought it would be best to be comfortable and I wanted to make sure I wore clothes that were easy to take off.

"Finally" I said to him.

"Hey! You had me running all over the place" he said as he took his gloves, coat, hat and scarf off and set them in the chair by the door. He pulled off his wet snow boots and socks, putting his socks inside his boots and left them by the door also. I just laughed, imagining him scurrying around trying to find the clues.

I looked him up and down. He was wearing a dark blue long sleeve cotton shirt and dark jeans. He looked good with his hair a little tousled from his beanie. I wondered what he would think about the fact that he could turn me on by doing absolutely nothing.

"Well you found them all" I said grinning at him. He walked over to the bed, sitting down next to me. He reached up and cupped my face in both hands, bringing my lips to his. The kiss was slow and loving and ended too soon.

"Hi" he said smiling at me.

"Hi" I said back. "So have you put the clues together and figured out what your gift might be?" I asked him in a teasing voice.

"Well, all I know is all the clues, except the last one, are things that have happened in our relationship, but I still can't figure out what gift you would give me that they have to do with" he said.

"Ok do you have the clues with you?" I asked. He stood up and walked over to his jacket and pulled the cards out of one of the pockets and brought them over to me and I looked at them.

"Ok, so clue number one was when we first met" I began and he nodded. "Clues number two and three were when the ball started rolling so I had to include them. Clue number four was when when you first asked me out. Clue number five was our first date. Clue number six was when I first realized I wanted to be with you and be good. Clue number seven was our fist kiss. Are you seeing a pattern yet?" I asked him. He still looked confused.

"They are all of our firsts. First date, first kiss, first time we said I love you" I explained to him.

"But we haven't had any firsts in my dorm" he said looking around. "Unless this is going to be a first date in my dorm room" he said after he noticed the snacks. I just giggled at him. I loved his innocence and the fact that he wasn't presumptuous. He turned back to look at me and I just kissed him. I dragged my lips across his cheek, placing a kiss at the corner of his jaw

"That isn't exactly the first I had in mind" I said close to his ear as I continued to kiss along his neck.

He made a growling noise in the back of his throat as his hands came up to my face, pulling my lips to his. He kissed me passionately. His tongue swept across mine and I just savored his mouth. I felt him begin to shift. He broke the kiss as he pulled his legs up on the bed, so he was now on his knees. He leaned toward me pushing me back so I was laying down. He kissed me again as he hovered over me, moving again to place his knees between my legs. He broke the kiss once again and looked at me.

"So tell me, what first do you have in mind?" he asked me seductively, with a smirk on his face. I stared at him for a moment. I was pretty sure he knew exactly what first I had in mind at this point, but he wanted me to say it.

"The first time we make love" I said boldly, my eyes never leaving his. He kissed me softly once again before pulling back.

"I should probably tell you now that I don't have any condoms in this room and my wallet is down in the car" he said to me.

"We don't need one" I said. He looked a little confused. "My birth control is just as effective at preventing pregnancy as a condom would be, if not more so, and neither one of us has been with anyone else, so a condom isn't really necessary" I said, leaning up to kiss him. He once again broke the kiss.

"Are you sure you are ready?" he asked. I reached up and cupped the side of his face with my right hand, touched by his sincerity.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Well apart from loving you" I said with a smile.

He kissed me again. I cupped the back of his head, letting my fingers run through his hair, so he wouldn't pull away again. He lowered his body to mine and tingles ran through me as our bodies met. I moaned out against his mouth when he ran his hand down my side, to my thigh, hitching my leg up over his hip as he rubbed himself against me. I was on fire for him. I writhed beneath him as need built up inside me. I lowered my hands down his chest, to the bottom of his shirt. I gripped it and began pulling. I just wanted to feel his skin. He pulled back slightly and reached over his head, pulling his shirt over his head and off. I watched as he tossed it to the floor. I ran my hands up his chest around the back of his neck pulling him back to me and kissing him again. He was so warm as I let my hands skim up and down his back, relishing the feel of his skin under my hands. He pulled back and looked at me for a moment.

"Your turn" he said as he gripped my waist and rolled us over pulling me on top of him.

I giggled as I sat up, straddling him. I couldn't believe how smoothly he did that. He chuckled and I leaned down to kiss him, bracing myself on my hands by his head. His hands moved from my thighs to my waist. I sat back as he began to sit up. I smiled, loving this position. I loved being this close to him without a lot of work. He grabbed the bottom of my sweater pulling it up. I lifted my arms as he pulled it over my head and threw it on floor with his.

"You're so sexy" he said looking at me in my black satin bra. His hands stroked my back as he pressed his lips to my shoulder. I sighed as a shiver ran through me. He pulled back to look at me.

"Are you cold?" he asked me.

"No" I said, my voice all breathy with want.

I kissed him again. His hands were so warm as he rubbed them up and down my back before he started to work on undoing the clasp of my bra. He was struggling a bit, having no experience with taking one off. I giggle and pulled back.

"Allow me" I said as seductively as I could. He dropped his hands to my hips and I reached behind my back to unhook my bra. I let the straps fall down the front of my arms before I pulled it off tossing it to join our shirts on the floor. Ben looked me up and down before bringing his gaze to my face.

"You are so beautiful" he said and kissed me slowly. I pushed my chest into his, my nipples beading at the contact. His hands ran up and down my bare back. I could feel his length, hard beneath me and couldn't help but grind into him. I heard him groan and rolled my hips again. The friction felt so good and I wanted him so bad. I moaned into his mouth as I continued to move against him. I was getting a little frustrated that he wasn't really touching me. Suddenly he reached down and gripped my hips, stopping my movements. I pulled out of the kiss confused by all this hesitation.

"Slow down baby" he said, his voice husky as he looked into my eyes.

"I want you" I said to him, needing him to move things along. He gripped my waist and rolled us back over so he was now on top of me.

"You can feel how bad I want you" he said, rubbing himself against me to prove his point, causing my breath to hitch at the amazing sensation. "But I want this to be good for you" he said.

"So far so good" I said smiling at him.

He smiled back before pressing his lips to mine. The kiss didn't last long as he pulled his lips down along my neck, kissing all the spots I loved. His lips traveled down over my collarbone to the valley between my breasts. He still hadn't really touched me with his hands and the anticipation was building up. He slowly drug his mouth over to my left breast, barely running his tongue across my nipple before he blew air across it.

"Oh" I moaned out, arching into his mouth as the sensation went straight to my core. He sucked my nipple into his mouth then circled it with his tongue. He kissed across my chest to give my other breast the same attention. He trailed his mouth down my torso to the edge of my leggings. He sat back on his heels and gripped the top of my leggings. I lifted my hips has he began to drag them down, then I lifted my legs so he was able to pull them off. He tossed them to the floor then ran his hands along my legs, over my knees and up my thighs and just looked at me. I was now laying in front of him in just a black satin thong. He smiled at me smugly. He leaned over me and kissed my lips gently.

"I love you" he said softly when he pulled away.

"And I love you" I replied.

He leaned back again letting, his hands trail down my body until he reached my panties, hooking his fingers in the top of them and began pulling them down slowly. I knew I was so wet for him and he was doing everything so slowly. I sat up and reached for the button on his jeans. I was just able to undo it when Ben grabbed my hands stopping me. He just smirked at my eagerness.

"Ben I want you. I'm ready" I said feeling needy.

"In due time baby" he said as he pushed me to lay back down.

He moved so that his face was above my center. He swiped his tongue along me and I cried out in pleasure. "You taste amazing" he said nudging his nose against my clit as he plunged his tongue as far in me as he could. I couldn't help but rotate my hips against him, wanting more. He reached his arm around my thigh, placing his hand on my stomach to hold me still. He brought his mouth up and lightly sucked my bundle of nerves.

"Ben" I breathed out. How can he make me feel this good?

He moved the hand that he had on my stomach up to knead my right breast. He pinched my nipple slightly and it sent tingles straight to my core. He pulled his mouth back slightly, blowing air against my most sensitive spot. I felt the fingers of his other hand run through my folds before he pushed them inside me. I reached down and ran my finger through his hair as his warm mouth returned to my clit. I felt like he was stimulating my whole body in the most wonderful way.

"I'm gonna come baby" I said panting, gripping his hair in one hand and the bedding in the other. My hand fell away from his head as he lifted his face to look at me.

"Come baby" he said, his voice so sexy. He curled his fingers just right, hitting that sweet spot inside me and I fell over the edge.

"Ohhhh" I moaned out, my back arching as my orgasm hit me. Ben began to move up my body. Kissing along my hip bone and up my belly. He began to push his jeans and boxers down, his manhood hard with desire, springing free. He pulled his feet free of his jeans and they joined the pile of our clothes on the floor, before he settled over me. I reached my hand for him but he grabbed it and laced our fingers together.

"I need you bad and don't want this to end before it begins" he said. I nodded and he let my hand go. He kissed me lovingly. He let himself rub against me, coating himself in my wetness and reigniting my need for him.

"I want you to tell me if it hurts ok?" he said to me and I just nodded, running my hands up and down his back.

"Just go slow" I said to him.

He reached down and guided himself to my entrance. I gasped as he pushed in slowly.

"Are you ok?" he asked stopping.

"Yes. Keep going" I said. It didn't hurt. It was just a bit of stretching that Evie had mentioned and a really full feeling. I could feel my body yielding to him as he inched in. He pushed all the way in and held still. He leaned down and kissed my lips softly before he pulled away looking at my face.

"Does it hurt?" he asked me.

"No" I said shaking my head. "Move please" I said needing him to do something. He slowly pulled back and pushed back in slowly. I was so wet from my release that he was able to move with ease. When he pushed all the way in he would press into my already sensitive clit and I felt the fire burning inside me once again.

"God baby. You feel so good" he said, before kissing me again. His thrusts began to pick up and so did the pleasure. "You're so tight and warm" he moaned out. "I want to see you" he grunted. He reached down and hooked his hand around the back of my right knee and rolled us to the left until I was on top. He never left me. His hands came to my hips and I gripped his wrists as his darkened eyes took me in, sitting astride him while he was buried inside me. I wasn't sure how to move, so I just rolled my hips against him. Oh god that felt amazing. He moved his hands to cup my ass as I continued my movements against him and was quickly approaching another orgasm.

"Oh god Ben. I'm gonna come again" I said. He sat up and kissed my lips.

"I want to feel you come on me" he said, his hands still on my backside, guiding my movements against him. "Let go Mal. Come all over me" he demanded. He watched my face as my orgasm slammed into me.

"Ohh Ben" I cried out, tilting my head back in pleasure. I could feel myself pulsing around him. It felt amazing. I stopped moving as my body quivered and my toes curled. Waves of ecstasy rolled through my body and I just wanted to feel this way forever. Ben hugged me to him and slowly rolled us back over. I felt him, still hard and wanting, inside me. He kissed my lips again and I reached down and grabbed his ass to encourage him to move. He began to thrust into me once again. I felt him swell inside me.

"I'm gonna come" he breathed.

"Come" I said to him, still panting from my own orgasm. I heard him growl in the back of his throat and he gave two strong thrusts before he stopped and I felt him come inside me.

He kissed me again. The kiss was slow and full of love. He pulled back and just looked at my face, trying to read me. I smiled up at him, reaching my hand up to stroke his face. I suddenly felt like I was falling in love with him all over again. I lifted my head and pecked his lip gently trying not to let the moment overwhelm me.

"I love you so much" I said to him. He smiled the smile he always has when I tell him I love him. Like it was the first time he was hearing it.

"I love you too" he said back.

He began to shift, lifting himself from me. I hummed as he pulled out of me, feeling suddenly empty. He rolled onto his back next to me. I felt cold at the loss of contact, but he reached for me, pulling me to him. I rested my head on his chest and listened to his erratic heartbeat. We didn't say anything. I think we were both trying to wrap our heads around how we were feeling. I shifted my legs and could feel the sticky wetness between them. I lifted my head and looked at him.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom" I told him as I rolled to the side of the bed before sliding off to stand. Oddly enough, it didn't feel weird to walk across the room naked in front of him. I stopped at the bathroom door and turned to look at him. He lay gloriously naked on the bed with one arm thrown over his face. I hoped he didn't think I was regretting what we did.

"Ben" I called to him. He moved his arm and lifted his head to look at me. "I left a washcloth on the bedside table" I told him. I knew we would have to clean up so, I thought it was a good idea to have it. I pointed at the bowl that I had placed there with hot water and a washcloth, though it was probably cold by now. I gave him a wink before stepping into the bathroom.

I cleaned up the best I could without actually getting a shower. I found myself rushing to get back to Ben. I knew what Belle meant when she said she felt closer to Adam. I was feeling the same way. I looked at myself in the mirror to see if I somehow looked different. I still looked the same to me, but I felt different. I smiled at my reflection. I just felt so happy.

I stepped back out of the bathroom and looked over at the bed. He hadn't noticed me yet. He seemed deep in thought. I just stood there for a moment and stared at him. He had pushed the bedspread to the foot of the bed and was laying on his back with the sheets pulled up to his waist. He had his hands behind his head and was staring at the ceiling.

He was so beautiful and he was mine. I felt joy bubble up inside me as I realized that I had a part of him that no one else will ever have. I thought about him hovering over me, making love to me. I felt my nipples harden and I bit my bottom lip. I wanted him again already. I really am going to have to learn to control myself now.

"Hey" I heard him say pulling me out of my daydream. He was now sitting up looking at me with a grin on his face. "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

"You" I said smiling at him as I walked back over to the bed. He pulled the sheets back inviting me in. We laid down and I snuggled into his warm body as he covered us with the sheet.

"How do you feel?" he asked me as his hand stroked up and down my back.

"Mmmh, I feel perfect" I said letting my hand trace circles on his chest. "How do you feel?" I asked him.

"Happy" he said simply.

"Me too" I said.

"How was it for you?" he asked looking down at me. I looked up at him thinking about how I should answer. I turned and propped myself up on his chest, leaning my chin on my arms.

"Emotionally or physically?" I asked.

"Both" he said, reaching up and running his fingers through my hair.

"It was so much better than I was expecting" I said with a grin.

"Why? Were you expecting it to be bad?" he asked, looking a little concerned.

"No, but it's not uncommon for it to not be as good for the girl as it is for the guy the first time" I said to him. "I read that most girls don't have an orgasm the first time."

"Yeah, I think I read about that too. That's why I wanted to make sure you felt good before we started. I was surprised that you came again" he said with a smug smile. "God I feel like a king!" he exclaimed with a chuckle, making me laugh.

"You are a king" I said grinning at him.

"You know what I mean. It's like if I can make you feel like that, I feel like I could do anything" he said smiling at me lovingly.

"Well Your Majesty, you will be happy to know that it was the best orgasm I have ever had" I told him.

"Is that so?" he asked happily.

"Yes. It was so intense. It was the best feeling I have ever had" I said to him.

"So how do you feel emotionally?" he asked me.

"I had a moment where I felt like I was falling in love with you all over again. Like I could never love anyone as much as I love you. I feel closer to you somehow and I feel unbelievably happy that you are mine and I am yours and no one else will ever get to have that part of us" I said softly. He cupped my face and pulled my lips to his, kissing me softly. He pulled away and ran his thumb along my bottom lip.

"I feel the same way" he said. A smile slowly spread across his face. "That was the best Christmas present I have ever gotten."

"Oh yeah? Even better than the Robo Raptor?" I asked teasing him.

"Most definitely!" he said with a chuckle. We fell into a comfortable silence just staring at each other. "So do you want to go out?" he asked me breaking the silence.

"Not really. I brought snacks but we can just order take out and watch a movie or something, if that's alright with you" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me" he said.

We ordered some take out to be delivered so we were going to have to put clothes back on. Ben slid into a pair of blue plaid sleep pants and a tee shirt and I just put my robe on. He looked me up and down in my silk robe.

"I will get the door when the food comes" he said. "There is no way I want anyone seeing you like that" he flirted and I giggled. It was going to be a while before our food arrived so we found a movie to watch and snuggled together. When our food finally arrived we sat and ate at the table in his room.

"Did you tell my mom your plans?" he asked me. I was a little surprised by his question.

"Not exactly. Why?" I asked.

"It's just that she told me she would understand if I didn't come home tonight. I thought that maybe you had said something to her" he told me.

"I just told her that I wanted to give you an early Christmas present and I was planning a scavenger hunt. It's not like I could tell her that I was planning on having sex with you" I said, taking the last bite of my fried rice.

"Well I think she may have figured it out" he said. I don't know how she would have. I've heard of mother's intuition before, could that be it I thought.

"If so I hope we aren't in for another sex talk, but I guess we are beyond that now" I said sending him a smirk. Just then my phone buzzed with a text message. I summoned it to me from the bedside table and heard Ben chuckle. I just looked up at him and smiled.

"It's Evie just checking in" I told him after I read the text message.

"So does Evie know?" he asked me.

"Yes. She kinda gave me the idea to use your dorm when I was getting frustrated that we were constantly being interrupted" I said putting my phone down, deciding I will text her back later.

"Just how long had you been planning this?" he inquired.

"Awhile" I said smiling.

"So is that why you wanted to know if Audrey and I spent time together here?" he asked.

"Yes. There was no way we were going to make love in a place that had any kind of meaning to her" I said matter-of-factly.

"Don't worry. We never spent any time together in any room that had a bed in it, so you may feel free to seduce me anywhere" he said to me.

"Hey, I'm open to doing it in places that don't have beds" I flirted.

"Listen to you! We've only had sex once and already you want to be adventurous" he teased. I shrugged my shoulders as I stood to throw away our trash.

"I just think I may have a hard time resisting you when we are alone…. no matter where we are" I said, running my hand across the back of his shoulders as I walked back by him, heading back to my chair. He quickly reached up and grabbed my hand pulling me around his chair and down until I was straddling his lap.

"Let's test this no bed thing" he said seductively, as he pushed one hand in my hair and pulled my mouth to his. I felt his tongue seek entrance and I opened my mouth to him. His other hand moved up my thigh and around my waist pulling me more firmly into him. I could feel him growing hard beneath me. I instinctively rolled my hips against him and we both moaned out at the sensation. He pulled his lips from mine, letting them trail down the side of my neck.

"Mmmmh I can feel your heat through my pants" he said in a husky voice. I couldn't help but to grind into him again. How does he make me feel like this? His hands moved in between us and he pulled the sash of my robe, untying it and letting it fall open. I let it slip off my shoulders to the floor. My nipples were already hard and begging for his attention. He sucked my left nipple into his mouth swirling his tongue around it.

"Ahh" I cried out in pleasure when he nipped it gently giving it a tug before releasing it, his hand pinching and teasing my other nipple. His hand drifted down my torso to my center where he ran his fingers through my slick heat.

"Your so wet for me already" he said before sticking his fingers in his mouth. I don't know why I found that such a turn on. I leaned in to kiss him, cupping the side of his face.

"I want you" I said simply when I pulled away. He nodded his head and put his hands on my waist as if to lift me up, which cued me lift up on my feet as he shimmied his pants down freeing himself between us. I lowered back down and gripped him in my hand stroking softly. I felt him harden further as a bead of precome leaked from him. I looked at his face as I swiped my finger over him, collecting it, then putting my finger in my mouth. I heard him groan and thought that it must have the same affect on him watching me do it as it has on me.

"I need you" he said. I leaned forward and lifted my hips as he reached down and guided himself to my entrance. I slowly lowered myself onto him. The sensation was different than the first time. The full feeling felt so good this time. "God you feel so good" he moaned out. I used my feet on the floor to raise and lower myself on him in a slow rhythm. I could feel my orgasm building up this time, like a slow burn. I leaned back wanting to see our bodies connecting. I place one hand behind me on his knee and he gripped my hips guiding me to roll against him. The change in position changed everything.

"Ohhhh, mmmmhhh" I moaned out putting my other hand on his other knee. Leaning back like this had him rubbing that perfect spot inside me. I felt his hands drag up my body over my breasts and back down. His fingers leaving a trail of fire in their path. I knew I was going to come and soon. "Oh yeah" I breathed out, nearly there.

"You're gonna make me come baby" Ben panted. I could feel his muscles tense under my hands.

"I'm coming" I cried out as my orgasm hit me like a tidal wave. I continued to move dragging it out.

"Yes baby" Ben moaned out and I felt him come inside me. I rode out our pleasure until he reached down and gripped my waist to stop me and I slumped into him, resting my head on his shoulder. I turned my head and pressed my lips to his neck, tasting the saltiness of his skin.

"That was amazing" he said running his hands up and down my bare back. I sat up and looked at him, smiling.

"It was" I replied. I felt him softening and beginning to slip. "I need to go clean up again" I said. I stood up and felt some come run down my inner thigh as he slipped from me entirely.

"Damn that's hot" Ben said and I couldn't help but giggle.

"I'm going to jump in the shower" I said heading into the bathroom, my legs feeling weak.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I sat in the chair for a few minutes, trying to compose myself before I stood to grab the washcloth. I rinsed it in the cool water in the bowl and cleaned up. I would get in the shower when Mal finished. For a moment I thought about joining her in the shower, but decided against it. I didn't want this new development in our relationship to overwhelm her. I slipped my pants back on and began picking up all our clothes.

My head went right back to us making love. It was perfect. It seemed like we were made to be together like that. She was eager and willing. I loved that I could make her feel just as amazing as she made me feel. I want to spend the rest of my life making her feel like that. How was I going to be able to keep my hands off her now?

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" I heard Mal say. I looked up and saw her coming out of the bathroom in just a towel.

"You" I said smiling at how the roles had reversed. She walked over to where her bag sat on the dresser and pulled out my old tourney shirt and some panties.

"There is still hot water if you want to take a shower" she said, pulling the towel out of her hair to dry it. I stepped over to the dresser and opened one of the top drawers, grabbing some boxer briefs. I leaned down and pecked her lips and grinned at her but said nothing before I headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

When I came out of the bathroom after my shower, I found Mal curled up in bed, fast asleep. I smiled thinking about how our activities must have worn her out. I felt pretty tired myself. I mean I had to run all over the place hunting clues today.

I walked over to my jacket and pulled my phone out. I was grateful that no one called the whole time we had been here. The last thing we needed was another interruption after all Mal's planning. I set my phone down on the bedside table and plugged it in before turning off the lights and climbing into bed with her. I rolled over on my side and pulled Mal back into me. She snuggled back into me grabbing the hand that I had wrapped around her waist and bought it up to her chest.

"I love you Ben" she murmured sleepily.

"I love you too" I said back, breathing in the fresh smell of her. The last thought I had before drifting off to sleep was how perfect this day turned out to be. How perfect she was and how perfect it felt to be curled up with her like this. Life was perfect.

* * *

**I hope that was to everyone's satisfaction. Now the issue for me will be not making every chapter smutty lol. **

**Reviews are love!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Pool party for Mal's birthday, what do you guys think? So the smut continues. Happy reading!**

**Content warning for smut and lemons.**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I was beginning to wake up. I felt so warm. I didn't usually sleep this warm. As I began to roll over, I remembered where I was and realized why I was so warm. I turned over and looked at Ben, who was still sleeping soundly beside me. I smiled, thinking back to the events of last night. It wasn't candlelight and roses, but it was perfect. He was perfect.

I looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly eight in the morning. I stretched my body and realized that I felt a little sore. Mostly in my legs. I quietly slid out of bed to go to the bathroom. I used the bathroom and quickly brushed my teeth before heading back out. I tiptoed back to bed climbing back in. I rolled onto my left side, propping my head on my hand to look at Ben. His hair was getting longer and I itched to run my fingers through it but I didn't want to wake him up. I was enjoying looking at him. He was laying on his back with his right hand resting on his stomach and his left arm over his head. His face was turned toward me and it almost looked like there was a hint of a smile on his face. He moved slightly pulling his left knee up, making a soft humming noise, his hand sliding up to his chest. I wondered if he was dreaming. He turned his head, this time making that deep growling sound he makes when he his turned on. The sound instantly turned me on. If he was dreaming it was a very good dream I thought.

I smirked as an idea hit me. Lets see if I can make his dreams come true I thought. I lifted myself up bracing myself on my left hand. I placed my right hand on his stomach and slowly pushed it down under the sheets. As I stroked my hand over his manhood, still covered by his boxers, I realized he was already getting hard. I hope he was dreaming about me. I continued to stroke him over his boxers.

"Mal" I heard him moan out softly. I looked at his face but it looked like he was still asleep. My actions were working me up. I wanted him. It was time he woke up. I leaned down pressing my lips to his warm skin where his neck and shoulder meet. He didn't move. I slid my lips down over his collarbone to his chest, kissing his nipple. I heard him moan lightly again as his nipple hardened, but he still wasn't waking up. I moved my mouth to his other nipple giving it the same attention. This time I gave it a little nip with my teeth before soothing it with my tongue. I felt his hand come down to my head. Finally I thought. I lifted my head to look at him. His eyes where barley open.

"Good morning" I said moving back up to press my lips to his.

"Mmmh, the best morning" he said with a grin when I pulled back.

"It seemed like you were dreaming and the sounds that you were making were turning me on" I flirted, smiling down at him. "I figured I would see if I could make your dreams come true." I pressed my lips back to his. I felt him wrap his arms around me and before I knew it he was rolling us over so he was now on top of me. He seductively rubbed himself against me causing me to moan out.

"Real life is so much better than any dream" he said before kissing me again. He reached down and grabbed my thigh pulling it up along his side. I hissed in pain and he instantly pulled back.

"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" he asked, lifting his weight off me a little bit.

"I'm fine. My legs are just a little sore" I told him. "Probably form the workout I got in that chair last night" I said ginning at him, running my hands along his sides. "Nothing a long, hot bath won't fix." He went to move off of me, but I stopped him by wrapping my legs around him.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Mal, I don't want to hurt you and I kinda need to use the bathroom" he said to me. He leaned down and pecked my lips. I let him go and watched as he pulled away and slid out of bed making his way to the bathroom. I heard the water turn on in the bathroom. After about five minutes he came back out. He didn't climb back in bed though. Instead he walked over to the closet.

"What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up to look at him. I still wanted him and it looked like he was going to get dressed.

"Seeing what I have to wear. I haven't used my dorm in a while, so I don't know what clothes I have here" he said, sliding hangers.

I felt disappointment wash over me. I wanted him and it had seemed like he was on the same page until he found out I was sore and now he was going to get dressed. I wanted him to take clothes off, not put clothes on. I thought for a moment as he was rummaging through the closet. How can I convince him to come back to bed? An idea hit me.

"Here, you can wear this" I said, as I threw his tourney shirt, that I had just pulled off, at him. I watched him turn and catch it just in time. He looked at what I had just tossed to him before looking up at me. I was sitting up in bed leaning back on my hands, topless, in nothing but panties. I didn't know how sexy this was, but it felt sexy. I watched his eyes travel over me. I could clearly see what the sight of me was doing to him. He wanted me too. I rubbed my legs together, trying to relieve the ache of want building up.

"I want you" I said simply. "And by the looks of it, you want me too."

"I always want you, but I don't want to hurt you" he said softly.

"It's just sore muscles" I told him. "It just means you will have to do all the work this time" I said flirtatiously, smiling at him. I could see him debating his want and my want against the idea of hurting me in his head. I thought he could use a little encouraging, so I reached down and pulled my panties off, tossing them on the floor. "Now there is even less work to do" I said.

That did the trick. He tossed his tourney shirt to the floor and made his way to the bed. I laid back, dropping my knees open to give him room, as he crawled up the bed and over me.

"You are insatiable" he said, his voice husky with lust.

"Now that I have had all of you, I can't get enough" I said back before he pushed his lips to mine, kissing me passionately. I cupped the back of his head and kissed him back with just as much passion. I sucked his bottom lip seductively and heard him groan. He pushed himself against and me the friction felt exquisite.

"Uuhhh" I moaned. I felt sensitive, like I could burst at anytime. Ben tore his mouth from mine and trailed his lips down to my breast. He suck in my nipple and I lifted my hips trying to get friction where I needed it most. Ben lifted himself slightly running his hand down my body until he reached my center. He ran his fingers through my folds as his lips traveled back up the side of my neck. I cried out again as he circled my clit with his fingers.

"So wet. Do I turn you on baby?" he breathed in my ear. He was a talker and I was finding that I liked it.

"You know you do" I said, breathing faster now. I needed him and I needed him now. I didn't want this to be over before feeling him inside me again. "I need you now" I breath, as I frantically reached down, trying to push his boxers down. He pulled back and pushed them down and off before settling over me again. I felt him hard against my center, so I rolled my hips just right and he easily slid into me. I sighed in sweet relief.

"So impatient" Ben chuckled, pushing in the rest of the way slowly. He began to thrust in and out at a slow and steady pace. He felt so good inside me. I thought about how the feeling of having him inside me changed so quickly from an odd intrusion that first time, to something I now craved. Something that felt incredible.

He kissed along my shoulder and collarbone, running his hand along my side and up to caress my breast. I ran my fingers through his hair. He lifted his head and our eyes met. There it was again. That feeling of falling in love. This wasn't just sex. He was truly making love to me. He lifted his hand to the side of my face.

"I love you" he said in a breathy voice. He must be feeling the same way I am.

"I love you too" I breathed out.

He leaned down and kissed me. He began rotating his hips causing me to moan out. I felt the build up of my approaching orgasm and needed more.

"Oh god Ben, I need…."I breathed out, on the edge of orgasm and just needing that push to get me there.

"Tell me what you need baby" he said nipping the side of my neck slightly.

"I need to come. Make me come Ben, please" I panted. He lifted his body, pushing his knees under my thighs and lifting my hips. He was now hitting that amazing spot inside me and I knew I wouldn't last long now. One of his hands gripped my hip while the other stroked up and down my torso and over my breasts.

"Come for me baby" he encouraged as he stroked his thumb lightly over my sensitive clit.

"Oh god, I'm coming. I'm coming" I moaned out, gripping the pillow my head was on, my hips pushing up toward his. My orgasm washed over me in waves. I felt him pulsing inside me as he came also. He leaned his body back down on me, burying his face in my neck. I reached up running my fingers through the back of his hair as we tried to control our breathing. We laid like this for a while, just holding each other.

"Feeling you come has got to be the best feeling in the world" he said, lifting up to look at me with a smile. I giggled.

"Even better than coming yourself?" I asked.

"That is a very close second" he said as he slowly pulled out of me. I whimpered at the loss.

"We should probably get moving" he said pecking my lips before climbing out of bed. "I'm going to go clean up. I will be quick" he said heading to the bathroom. I went to my bag pulling out my clothes and make-up bag. He came back out of the bathroom and smiled at me, holding his hand out towards the bathroom. "It's all yours my lady" he said and I laughed at him and headed into the bathroom to clean up.

I cleaned up quickly and got dressed, brushing my hair and putting on some light make-up. I stepped back out to find that Ben had made the bed and got dressed. Ben was wearing a light blue sweater and the jeans he was wearing yesterday. He was sitting on the bed pulling on some socks when he looked up and noticed me. I smiled at him and walked over to my bag to put my make-up bag back in it. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, kissing my cheek.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. I turned in his arms, placing my hands on his chest and looked up at him. I sighed.

"Sad that we have to leave this perfect blissful bubble and return to the real world" I said, rubbing my hands up his chest, over his shoulders and down his arms. He chuckled.

"Me too, but I meant physically" he inquired.

"Well my legs are still sore, which I didn't even notice when you had your hands all over me" I told him teasingly. "But other than that I feel fine. Maybe even more relaxed than usual" I said and he smiled at me. "I'm sure the relaxed feeling will change if your parents start questioning us."

"I hope that doesn't happen, though I'm almost certain my mom knows. I don't think she would make it the topic of conversation, though she may have told dad and he may say something" he said with a sigh.

"Well we will just have to cross our fingers" I said. "How do you feel?" I asked him and watched a big smile spread across his face.

"I feel amazing" he said, his fingers stroking the small of my back. "Waking up to you is the best. I wish I could do it every day" he said leaning down to kiss me softly.

"Me too" I said leaning my forehead against his. Just then my phone began to ring. I stepped away from him and looked at my phone to see who it was.

"Evie" I said holding my phone up for him to see. I forgot all about texting her back.

"Go ahead and answer it" he said. I quickly swiped to answer.

"Hey E. Sorry I didn't text you back" I said to her quickly.

"Hey I just wanted to check in and see how everything went" she was talking fast so I knew she was interested to hear my news.

"It went fine" I said. I watched Ben make a face. He knit his brow but was smirking at the same time. He walked past me and stood behind me

"Just fine? Was it that bad?" she asked. I could hear the curiosity in her voice.

"NO!" I exclaimed. I didn't want her to get the wrong idea but it just seemed strange to talk about it in front of Ben. Even though he knew everything that happened, obviously, and he told me he didn't mind if I talked about this stuff with Evie, but it just felt weird.

"So how was it then?" Evie asked, as I felt Ben pull me back into him, bringing his mouth to my neck and skating his lips along my skin.

"I think it was better than fine" he whispered in my ear before kissing my neck. I moaned out softly.

"OH MY GOD! You're not doing it right now are you?" I heard Evie screech into the phone. Ben must of heard it too, because he pulled away, laughing.

"No Evie! Why would I answer the phone if I was?" I asked her rhetorically. "Listen we are about to head to the castle. Can I call you back later?" I asked her.

"Ok, but I want all the juicy details" she said.

"Fine. I'll talk to you later" I said.

"Bye" she said back before I hung up the phone.

I turned to look at Ben and he pulled me back to him with a smirk on his face.

"I can't believe she actually thought I would do that while on the phone with her" I said a little incredulously. Ben just laughed.

"Let me guess, she wants all the details" he stated.

"Something like that" I said smiling at him.

"I know guys talk about sex a lot and I always wondered if girls do too" he said inquisitively.

"Girls talk about sex. I don't know if it is considered a lot, but when the topic comes up, we do talk" I informed him. "I won't tell her everything, if that's what you're worried about."

"I don't mind if you talk to Evie about us. I trust her" he said. I reached up and cupped his face, kissing him lovingly for a moment before pulling back.

"We should probably go. We need to run by my dorm so I can grab my gifts for everyone" I said to him. Ben sighed but let me go stepping away from me. We grabbed our stuff and he took my hand as we left his dorm.

* * *

We stopped by my dorm and I had to dodge all the questions Ben kept asking about the Christmas presents. I reminded him that he had less than twenty-four hours to wait and then he will know what he got. Ben drove us back to the castle. Holding my hand the whole way there. He parked and brought my hand up to his lips, kissing it.

"I love you" he said sincerely.

"I love you" I said back, leaning over the center console to kiss him sweetly.

When we enter the castle it was so quiet. I think I had gotten use to there being so many people here over the last two weeks. Lue approached us from who knows where.

"I'll take your things Lady Mal" he said and I gave him all my bags.

"Do you happen to know where my parents are?" Ben asked him.

"They were in the sitting room last I knew" Lue said.

"Thanks" Ben said and grabbed my hand again as we headed in the direction of the sitting room. When we walked in we were surprised to only see Belle reading a book as usual.

"Hey" Ben said alerting her of our presence before going over and kissing her cheek. "Where's dad?" he asked.

"He went to binge watch some show he is trying to talk me into watching about royalty. I get enough of all that in real life." Belle said and I just laughed.

"I've been waiting for you guys to get here. I wanted to see if Mal wanted to make cookies with me before lunch" she said looking at me.

"Of course" I said smiling at her.

"Well, I'll go hang out with dad I guess" he said. He turned and pulled me to him and gave me a slow loving kiss. We have kissed in front of his parents before, but I was feeling a touch embarrassed this time simply because Ben thought his mom knew about us having sex.

"I'll see you later" he said stroking his thumb across my cheek. I smiled at him and grabbed his hand. I held his hand as he began walking away until space separated us. I watched him until he stepped out of the room then turned to Belle, who seemed to be watching us intently. She smiled at me knowingly. I felt my cheeks heat slightly as I smiled back.

"Well shall we head to the kitchen?" she asked and I nodded and followed her out of the sitting room and to the kitchen. We walked into the kitchen. I expected to see Mrs. Potts but she wasn't there.

"Where's Mrs. Potts?" I asked as Belle walked over to the pantry and started pulling out the things we needed to make cookies.

"Chip made it home for Christmas, so she is spending time with him" Belle told me. "We will all have Christmas dinner together tomorrow" she smiled at me.

"So what kind of cookies are we making?" I asked trying to keep the conversation moving.

"Sugar cookies. We can decorate them when they cool" she said holding up tubes of icing. We got started on the cookies in silence. We each rolled out a section of cookie dough and grabbed the cookie cutters to start cutting out the cookies.

"So did Ben find his gift?" she asked me, breaking the silence.

"He did" I answered. I felt myself flush. I wasn't sure where she was going to go with this. She said she didn't expect me to tell her if and when Ben and I have sex, but I knew if she asked I would be honest.

"I should probably tell you that I kinda figured out what your gift was" she said not really beating around the bush. I looked at her. She didn't look upset or anything but I didn't really expect her too.

"Ben told me that he thought that you knew" I said to her, as I continued cutting cookies.

"So…..how are you feeling?" she asked me, a look of motherly concern on her face. I thought about how to answer her.

"Physically? I feel a little sore to be honest" I said. She laughed.

"Yes it can be quite the work out sometimes. Take a hot bath with some epsom salts and you should feel back to normal in no time" she suggested. "So how do you feel emotionally?" she asked. It took me a moment to answer

"It's hard to put into words. It's like you said, I feel so much closer to him, like I'm tied to him in some way. I had moment where I felt like I was falling in love with him all over again" I said.

"That can happen often and sometimes it has nothing to do with having sex. I find myself falling in love with Adam from time to time and sometimes he can be on the other side of the room and I just look at him and I'm struck by it. I think that is just how true love works" she said staring off a little bit. I was sure she was thinking about Adam. I smiled. If that was how true love worked, I liked it.

"So did you tell Adam?" I asked her.

"Not yet, but I'm sure if Ben doesn't confide in him, he will figure it out soon enough" she said. I wondered how he would figure it out.

She dropped the subject after that and we chatted easily about Christmas and all the gossip that was going around since the Christmas Ball. We had lots of fun decorating the cookies once they had baked and cooled.

* * *

After we had lunch I excused myself to go take a bath. I went to the suite that I am usually in when I stay here. Now that everyone was gone, I figured I would be back in there. I walked in and looked around for my things but they weren't there. Maybe Lue went ahead and put them in the room next to Ben's since that is where I stayed last. I made my way to the room and walked in but my things weren't there either. I guess I would have to ask where I was going to be staying. I stepped back out into the hallway just as Ben was stepping out of his room.

"Hey do you know where I will be staying? My things aren't in any of the rooms I usually stay in." I said to him.

"That's because they are in my room" he said.

"Why are they in your room?" I asked. I hope he didn't think that now that we have slept together that we should flaunt it.

"I have no idea. I was coming to look for you to see if you knew what was going on. Not that I don't want you to stay with me or anything. I figured the best we were going to get was that you would be next door again" he said. Just then Lue turned the corner walking down the hall.

"Hey Lue" Ben called to him.

"Yes Your Majesty?" he said coming over yo us.

"Lady Mal's thing are in my room, do you know why?" Ben asked him.

"Queen Belle told me that Lady Mal will be staying with you from now on" he said matter-of-factly.

"Ok. Thanks Lue" Ben said and Lue bowed his head to Ben and made his way back down the hallway.

"I was thinking she knew before, but I definitely think she knows now" Ben said.

"She does" I informed him. He looked at me a little concerned. "She told me she figured it out."

"She isn't upset or anything is she?" he asked as we walked into his room and he shut the door.

"Well for one, I don't think she would let us share a room if she was, and two she didn't seem upset at all when we talked about it. She just asked how I was" I told him. "She even advised I take an epsom salts bath for my sore muscles."

"Well I guess she didn't tell dad. He has been acting completely normal, and I know from the last time sex came up, he would ask me about it if he knew" Be said sitting in the chair at the foot of his bed.

"She said if you didn't tell him that he would probably figure it out. With me staying in your room with you I think there is no way he wouldn't be able to figure it out" I said.

"I guess I should probably talk to him. I don't want there to be a big blow up if he finds out some other way" he said.

"Well I'm going to get a bath, so you can go talk to him while I'm in the tub" I said. Ben stood and walked over to me, grabbing my waist and pulling me to him.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" he flirted.

"And you called me insatiable" I laughed.

"You are the one who said you are open to doing it in places that don't have beds" he said, lightly pressing his lips to neck. I felt him suck slightly.

"You better not mark me" I said breathy, his touch affecting me like it always does. He pulled back and looked at me with a smile.

"I won't. At least not where anyone can see" he said. Now that his mouth wasn't on me, my senses were coming back to me.

"Go talk to your dad. We can pick this up later. We have all the time in the world to have adventurous sex" I said pushing on his chest lightly. He leaned in and kissed my lips softly.

"Wish me luck" he said with a chuckle. "There is some epsom salt under the sink in the bathroom" he told me as he stepped away.

"Good luck" I said with a giggle and watched him leave the room.

* * *

_Ben's POV_

I went in search of my dad and found him back in the theater room. He was just about to start another episode of the show he has been watching.

"He son. You want to join me for the next episode?" he asked when I walked in.

"No. I couldn't really get into it earlier" I said. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Is everything alright?" he asked getting concerned right away.

"Everything is fine" I said smiling to reassure him. "It's just that I have something I wanted to tell you before you found out some other way."

"Ben you're not really convincing me that everything is fine" he said to me. I laughed. He always jumped to the worst conclusion.

"It is. It's just personal, that's all" I said to him. "Mal and I have….uhh...well...we had sex. I didn't want mom to have to tell you or anything" I told him. He just looked at me and didn't say anything. The silence was starting to make me uncomfortable.

"Dad say something" I said.

"So your mother knows?" he asked. He sounded unusually calm.

"Yes. I have no idea how she knew but she knew it was going to happen before I did" I said. Dad gave me a confused look.

"How is that possible?" he asked.

"Well Mal arranged a scavenger hunt for me to find a 'Christmas gift'" I said signing quotations with my hands. "She asked mom to give me the first clue and she also got the spare key to my dorm from mom. I guess mom just put two and two together. She is quicker than I am" I said with a chuckle.

"Yes your mother is very perceptive" dad said with a smile. He was quiet for a few more minutes. "So you were careful?" he asked.

"Yes. Mal actually got on birth control after the whole love bite thing and talking to mom" I informed him. He nodded.

"Well I kinda thought it was going to happen sooner than it did and I'm glad you felt you could tell me" he said to me.

"So you're not freaked out about it? I mean, it seemed like you were going to have a panic attack when you thought we had already done it a couple months ago" I said.

"Your mother talked me off that ledge" he said with a chuckle. "She reminded me that all we can do is make sure you were educated in safe sex and to be open with you. Besides Mal is so caught up on making sure she doesn't ruin you in any way, so I know she would make smart decisions. You guys love each other. It's only natural that you two have progressed to a more physical relationship." Just then mom walked into the theater room.

"Hey what are you two up to?" she asked, walking in and giving dad a kiss.

"Ben was just filling me in on the progression of his relationship with Mal" he told her. He made it seem like we were discussing the last council meeting or something. It was such a change from how he was a couple months ago.

"I already talked to Mal" she said giving me a small smile. "Well I wanted to see if you guys were up to ordering pizza for dinner. I gave Mrs. Potts the night off to spend with Chip. I thought maybe we could open our Christmas Eve presents and have dinner and watch Christmas movies tonight" she suggested.

"That sounds like a perfect way to spend Christmas Eve" dad said pulling mom down into his lap. I figured that was my cue to leave.

"Uh, I'm just going to let Mal know what the plans are for this evening" I said, standing and leaving the room as they started making lovey eyes at each other.

* * *

We had a great evening hanging out with my parents in our new Christmas pajamas. Mal wound up falling asleep on the couch while we were watching The Santa Clause. I carried her up to my room and to bed.

"Ben" she mumbled out as I pulled the covers over her.

"Shhh just sleep" I whispered to her, kissing her head as she drifted back to sleep. I climbed into bed pulling her to me. This was the best Christmas I had ever had and it wasn't even Christmas day yet. I closed my eyes and relished the feeling of falling asleep with Mal in my arms. I wish I could do this every night for the rest of my life.

* * *

**Reviews are love!**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: First let me start by saying I'm so sorry for how long this has taken. I am usually on top of updates and hate that I'm having to make you all wait. I am having issues with my computer and all my chapters and drafts are on it. I just figured out how to get this chapter up using my phone. (This chapter was already uploaded to the doc manager). With that beinging said, I don't know how long it will be before I can get the next chapter up. Just know that I have not given up on this story and have quite a bit of it mapped out in my head but need to be written, which I can't do without my computer. (I tried to do it on my phone but the auto correct was way too frustrating). In the meantime, a friend got me hooked on Outlander which is amazing! I have been binge watching it and now want to read the books. Have any of you read them? I highly recommend the show! Now on with the story. Happy reading.**

**Content Waning**

* * *

_Mal's POV_

I don't remember falling asleep last night, but I would love to wake up like this everyday if I could.

"Mmmm" I moaned out, fully awake now. I opened my eyes to see it was barely light out. It must be early. My shirt was pushed up over my breasts and Ben was working one nipple with his mouth. One hand was stroking me through my pajama pants. I let my hand fall to his head, running my fingers through his hair. He lifted his head and shifted to kiss me. He pulled back and looked at me smiling smugly.

"Good morning" he said as he pushed his hands past my waistband and circled my clit expertly.

"Ohh" I cried out. Ben pushed his lips back to mine to muffle my cry. He stopped moving his hand and pulled back, chuckling.

"Can you put the silencing spell up?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Take this moment and make it unheard, so we may have a private word" I breathed out looking at him. "Is the door locked?" I asked.

"Yes" he answered.

I reached up and pulled him back down and kissed him wantonly, as he continued with his hand. His fingers dipped inside me and we could both tell how turned on I was. He moved his body over me. I reached up and pulled my shirt off, tossing it to the floor. I ran my hands along his bare chest and around to his back, pulling him down until his chest touched mine. My nipples hardened even further at the contact. I leaned up and kissed him fiercely, sucking his bottom lip before seeking entrance with my tongue. I heard him groan and could help but smile.

"I want you so bad" I said, reaching down and stroking him through his sleep pants.

"I know, but I want to take this slow" he said, his mouth drifting down my neck. My hands slipped away from him as his body moved down mine. He kissed along my chest down my torso before sitting up. He just looked at me with a look of adoration on his face. "You're so beautiful" he said, as he began to slowly run his hands along my body. "Your skin is like silk" he said, his fingers lightly grazing down the center of my chest and stomach, tracing around my belly button. "Your nipples, the same color as your lips, hard and begging for my mouth" he said seductively, lowering his mouth to one of my nipples, sucking and nipping, while his other hand pinched and rolled my other nipple.

"Mmmm" I moaned out, running my fingers through his messy hair. His talking was such a turn on. He pulled back again. He reached his fingers into the waist band of my pajama pants and panties, pulling them both down at the same time. I giggled at his eagerness to have me stripped. "Can't wait to get me naked?" I teased. He just smirked at me before moving farther down the bed. He lifted my left leg and began to kiss along my calf, up my inner thigh. I gasped when he got close to my center, wanting nothing more than his mouth on me. He moved past and began to kiss along my right leg. Damn this was exquisitely frustrating I thought. He pressed his lips firmly to the top of my inner thigh, sucking. I knew in the back of my mind that he was probably leaving a mark but I didn't care. "Baby" I breathed out, lifting my hips slightly, beckoning for his attention where I needed it most.

"So eager" he said.

"I need you" I panted.

He lowered his head and swiped his tongue along me causing me to gasp out in pleasure. His tongue circled my clit and he began sucking it softly. I moaned out his name feeling my orgasm slowly building up. His mouth was doing amazing things and I felt like I couldn't get enough. It wasn't long before my orgasm crashed into me. He made his way back up my body. He pressed his lips to mine in a slow kiss. As good as that felt, I still wanted more. I pushed against his chest for him to roll over.

"My turn" I said flirtatiously, as he laid back on the bed. I could see him straining against his pajama pants. I moved so the I was between his legs. I leaned over him, kissing him again. Like him, I kissed my way down his body, letting my breast barely skim across his chest as I moved. He groaned as I swept my tongue across one of his nipples on my way down. I kissed him just below his belly button before sitting up. I mimicked his actions and began pulling down his sleep pants, though he wasn't wearing any boxers to take off. He sprang free of his pants. He was hard as stone and rested heavy against his lower abdomen. I tossed his pants to the floor and took him in my hand, stroking a couple times. It had been a month since I last tasted him and only a day since I felt him inside me and I didn't know which one I craved more at the moment. I lowered my head and took him in my mouth. I would be slow and gentle and drag it out so I could get my way. He groaned out his pleasure. I tasted the precome on his tip and dropped my mouth down him only a couple time before releasing him from my mouth. I crawled back up his body.

"Why'd you stop?" he asked, his breathing heavy.

"I want to make love to you" I said simply as I move my legs over his to straddle him. I leaned down on my hands just above each of his shoulders and rolled my hips coating him in my need while I leaned down and pushed my lips to his again. I felt Ben run his hands up and down my back softly. "God I need you" I moaned out. Ben's hands dropped to my backside. He gripped me with one hand and guided himself to me with the other. I pushed my hips back on him taking him in. "Uuhhh" I groaned out. I sat up astride him and began rolling my hips against him. Ben gripped my hips as if he needed something to hold on to. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes trying to absorb all the pleasure.

"I could come just watching you" Ben said huskily, dragging his hand up my torso and fondling my breast. "The pleasure on you face as you ride me like this" he continued talking. "Am I gonna make you come baby?" he asked as he pinched my nipple.

"Oohhh yes" I moaned out as I picked up the pace. His words pushed me that much closer to my orgasm. Suddenly Ben rolled us over. He didn't miss a beat and continued pumping into me. He grabbed my leg to hitch up over his hip. He pushed in deep and rotated his hips, stimulating my already sensitive clit. "Ben" I moaned out, pulling his mouth to mine. "I'm gonna come" I gasped, pulling my mouth from his as I felt my orgasm rushing in.

"Me too. Come with me Mal. Let me feel you. Let me see you" he said. I tried to keep my eyes open when I fell off the edge into oblivion. I wanted to see him come with me. I gripped his hair as he growled in the back of his throat. I could feel both of us pulsing against each other. It was amazing. His movements slowed to a stop with him deep inside me. He dropped his forehead to mine as we stared into each others eyes.

"I love you so much" he said, panting from our love making.

"I love you too" I answered.

We were both panting, coming down from our synchronized high. He pulled from me after a few moments and rolled to lay next to me. I felt like I could fall back to sleep as I snuggled into him. I tried to cover my yawn.

"Are you still sleepy?" he asked me.

"I wasn't but I am now" I said, listening to his heart beat.

"It's still early. Go back to sleep. I will wake you up when we need to get up" he said kissing the top of my head.

"K" I said, as I let my eyes drift shut and sleep seeped into my body.

The next time I woke up I was alone in bed. It was light outside now. I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost nine. I heard the water running in the bathroom. I got out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. Ben was standing at the sink rinsing his toothbrush. I watched as he grabbed the soap to wash his face. He hadn't noticed me yet.

"Hey" I said, smiling at him from the doorway.

"Hey" he said, looking at me through the mirror with a smile of his own.

"I think I'm going to take a quick shower" I said to him as I walked into the bathroom, still naked from our early morning escapades. I stepped up behind him and lightly kissed the back of his shoulder, before turning and opening the shower door to turn the water on. As I was about to step in I felt him grab me, pulling me back against him.

"Don't take too long" he said, his mouth close to my ear, before pressing a kiss to my cheek and stepping away. "I'm going to head down to breakfast" He told me as I stepped into the steamy water.

"OK. I'll be down soon" I called out. I could just barely see his silhouette through the fogged glass as he left the bathroom. I showered quickly then brushed my teeth and hair. It was Christmas, so I put my Christmas pajamas back on and made my way down to the family dinning room for breakfast.

"Good morning" Belle said with a smile. "I trust you slept well" she said with a mischievous smile on her face. I was happy that she didn't seem to have a problem with Ben and I having a more intimate relationship.

"I did. I don't even remember falling asleep last night" I said as walked over to the buffet to make my plate.

"You fell asleep while we were watching movies. Ben had to carry you to bed" Adam said with a chuckle. So that's how I made it to bed. I figured as much.

I ate quickly as we were all getting excited to open our Christmas presents. We made our way to the sitting room when we were all finished with breakfast. There wasn't as many gifts under the tree as there was last year, but there was also three people less this year than last. I was super excited to give Adam and Belle the sketch. We all began to open our gifts. I sent the gifts that I got Evie, Jay and Carlos with them to open on Christmas and they did the same.

I got a new dragon necklace from Evie and some new perfume that I had mentioned I liked from Carlos. Jay got me a new leather backpack. I loved them all.

"My parents and I kinda coordinated this year with your gifts" Ben said.

Belle handed me the gift from her. I opened it to find a dark purple ski jacket trimmed in fur and matching pants. I was a little confused but I liked it. Adam then handed me the gift from him. He got me new gloves and hat and a pair of thick socks. Ben then stood and grabbed a large gift that was tucked behind the tree.

"This will explain the rest of the gifts" he said sliding a very long and narrow gift on the floor in front of me. I opened it to find a new pair of skies and ski poles. Why was I getting ski gear? My confusion must have shown on my face.

"We are taking a ski trip after new years and we want you to come with us" Ben said.

They wanted me to come with them on their family trip? I was beginning to feel a little emotional.

"Can't take a family ski trip without the whole family" Adam said smiling at me. I knew I had tears in my eyes as I looked at all of them.

"Thank you guys" I said and leaned forward to hug them. I wiped my tears away. "Now time for your gifts" I said smiling at them and reaching under the tree to grab the gifts that I got them. I handed Ben a small box. He began to open it. Inside was a pair of cuff links I had made. One was a gold dragon while the other was a his gold beast emblem.

"My bracelet represents both you and me so I thought you should have something that represents both of us as well" I said smiling at him.

"I love them" he said leaning over to kiss me softly.

"Now on to your parents gift" I said handing them the pretty large gift. I had the sketch framed so that they wouldn't have to and could hang it right away if they wanted to.

I watched as they opened it. Adams mouth dropped open slightly as Belle gasped, coving her mouth with her hand. I hoped it was a good gasp.

"Do you like it?" I asked. Belle looked up at me and I could see tears in her eyes.

"Mal it's beautiful" she said dropping her eyes back to the sketch, running her fingers over it.

"Can I see?" Ben asked. Adam lifted the large frame and turned it to show him. "That's amazing Mal" he said as he turned and looked at me with a smile.

"Well I can't take all the credit. This is the project piece that Derek and I did. When it was done I knew I wanted you guys to have it" I told them.

"I love it" Belle said with a watery smile as she leaned over to hug me. "Now we have to decide where to put it" she said looking at it again.

* * *

We all hung out in the sitting room talking and drinking hot chocolate. We had leftover pizza for lunch and I excused myself to call Evie. She had already texted me asking to call her. I headed to Ben's room but thought better of it. He was sure to interrupt me, so I went into the room that connected to his.

"Merry Christmas!" Evie said in lieu of a greeting.

"Merry Christmas to you too" I said back. "So what did you get for Christmas?" I asked her.

"Oh no you don't! You are not going to divert from this missy. I have been waiting for nearly two days to hear how things went with Ben. You didn't sound super thrilled when I talked to you yesterday" she said. I sighed. I guess she wasn't going to be distracted.

"It's not that. I was just feeling weird about talking to you about it with Ben standing right there" I told her as I plopped down on the bed.

"I get that" she said. "So spill. How was it? How do you feel?" she asked in a sing song voice. I smiled to myself.

"It was amazing" I said. "I mean I had no idea I could feel like that" I said to her.

"Geez Mal it's only been a day and a half and it's that good already?" she asked incredulously.

"I don't know how Ben does it, but it's like he knows exactly what to do to make me feel amazing" I informed her.

"So it didn't hurt you either?" she asked.

"No, not really. It was like you said, just kinda tight and full. Ben made sure I had an orgasm before we started though. He said he read that girls don't usually have an orgasm the first time so he wanted to make sure I was satisfied first" I said.

"That was smart and thoughtful of him" she commented.

"I was able to orgasm during though" I said.

"Really?" I could hear the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah. I think it may have been that I was already sensitive. It is so much more intense when I get off with him inside me" I said, trying not to think about it too much so I don't get myself worked up.

"I know what you mean" she said with a little giggle.

"I have orgasmed every time we have done it. Is that normal?" I asked.

"I don't know if it's normal or not. I mean Doug gets me there one way or another. So how many time have you done it?" she asked me.

"Um…..four" I answered.

"Seriously four?" she asked sounding shocked once again.

"Yeah... Twice the first night, then the next morning, then this morning" I said. "Evie I swear I don't know how I'm going to manage keeping my hands off of him" I said with a giggle. I heard her laugh.

"You'll manage, but at least right now while it's new he has free time so you don't have to worry too much about it. It's going to be harder making sure everyone else doesn't find out."

"Well his parents know already. Belle figured it out and Ben thought it was probably a good idea to tell his dad. They both took it better than I could have asked for" I said.

"Well that's good. Keep in mind he is the king so everyone watches his every move" she said.

"I know" I sighed. "I think if we stick to not marking each other where people can see and maybe going a step further now and not sharing a bed in other people's homes we will be fine with the public."

"So I take it you snuck into his bed last night?" she inquired.

"Actually... no I didn't" I began. "Belle had Lumiere put my stuff in Ben's room, telling him I would be staying with him from now on."

"Well isn't that just convenient" she said.

"I asked her about it this morning and she figures if we are going to be having sex anyway we shouldn't have to make it look bad by sneaking around" I said. I heard Ben calling out my name from the other room. "I think Ben is looking for me. I'll see you when you get home tomorrow ok" I said to her.

"Ok see ya" she said before we hung up.

I made my way over to the door that connects the two rooms opening it and stepping through. Ben was no where to be seen.

"Ben" I called out and he stepped out of his closet in nothing on but a pair of jeans and a shirt in his hands. I walked up to him and ran my hands along his bare chest. "Nice" I flirted smiling at him. He chuckled and pulled me close kissing my lips sweetly. He pulled away and pulled his shirt on over his head.

"I'm heading out to help shovel snow" he informed me. "Did you get to talk to Evie?"

"I did. I just got off the phone with her" I said. "She will be back tomorrow, so I will head home tomorrow too." He made a pouty face and I giggled. "You still have me for one more night. Now go shovel some snow" I said shoving him playfully.

* * *

**Reviews are love! **


End file.
